The Changer of Fate
by jbanime36
Summary: The longer he's in her grasp, the more his insanity grows. She manipulates him in any way she pleases. Can he work with three outcasts like him to break the curse, or will madness control his mind forever? And can he ever be truly free from The Changer of Fate? [Has blood and mild language] AU FANFICTION WITH MANY OCs. SC4 COMBINED WITH A BIT OF SCV.
1. Chapter 1: The Ritual

**I own nothing except Jessica and Dionna.**

**Chapter 1: The Ritual**

* * *

Raphael Sorel stared out of the window of his castle, the moon casting an eerie glow on his pale face. On the outside, his face showed a calm expression, as he did not want his servants Marienbard, Auguste, and Jacqueline, nor his beloved daughter Amy, to worry about him. But on the inside, Raphael felt the meaning of fear. This did not occur often. And this fear was coming from strange visions that constantly haunted him. Some of these visions were of his past, which Raphael was well aware of. But the ones that displayed his future, the bloody, violent ones, haunted him constantly. And it wasn't the fear that you have as a child of monsters under your bed, or a fear of heights. No. It was a type of fear that one feels when he or she is being manipulated; controlled by another, more powerful being.

Raphael didn't know it yet, but he soon was to be in that situation.

"My lord, the ritual is starting soon." said a voice that interrupted Raphael's moment of silence. The lord of darkness turned and saw Jacqueline staring back at him. "Oh yes! The ritual to create the new world for Amy and me!" Raphael mumbled, so quiet that Jacqueline couldn't hear him. "My lord?" the servant asked, wondering why he didn't seem to respond. "What?! Don't just stand there you imbecile! Take me to the castle's throne room!" Raphael stated impatiently, an annoyed expression now played across his face. The red headed servant did not reply. She just did as she was told and lead her master to the castle's throne room, where the dark room was illuminated only by the faint glow of the moon, and the soul sword Soul Calibur.

The lord of the night smiled. Now, Amy and he would be able to live in their own new world together. Walking toward Soul Calibur, he threw his now worthless rapier aside. He wouldn't be needing it anymore, anyway, not with the soul sword in his possession. Auguste went over to retrieve it for his master, only to be stopped by Marienbard who gave him the "Don't even bother" look.

Raising both of his arms, Raphael commanded the sword to create the new world for him and Amy. He and the servants waited anxiously for the sword to do so. Ten seconds passed. Then thirty seconds. A whole minute. Still nothing happened. Raphael was beginning to loose his patience. "It should be glowing brightly right now!" he thought. "Why isn't it working?!"

Auguste craned his neck to look at the sword in front of his master. "Hmm... Nothing is happening..." he observed. Raphael shot an annoyed glance at him. That was Auguste: _always_ feeling like he must point out the obvious.

Raphael turned toward green haired Marienbard and asked her in a calm, yet annoyed tone, "Marienbard, you're smart right? Then answer me this: Is Soul Calibur really the sword that people claim it to be?" "Yes master, it is" Marienbard answered with a bow. "Oh really?" her master replied in a voice filled with realization. "I should have realized." he said, as he grabbed the hilt of the sword, and swung it at Marienbard's neck. Auguste and Jacqueline stared in horror at Marienbard's now lifeless body, only to be the next one's to perish under their master's sudden bloodlust.

"You worthless servants! This world truly belongs only to Amy and me now!" Raphael cackled, as he held the soul sword high in his left hand. But he soon stopped, as he suddenly felt the fear again. He turned around, and saw that this time, he really was being watched. He could see the figure walking toward him, hiding in the shadows. He couldn't see this stranger's face, but he could make out a few of his or her features: this person was thin, tall, and had long, dark hair. And I'm not talking about long as in past one's shoulders. I'm not talking about past one's waist either. No. This person's hair went all the way to his or her ankles. Then the figure spoke, in a cold, menacing voice. **"Well well. Looks like you could actually serve to be quite useful after all…. Raphael Sorel, am I right?"** This was a female's voice no doubt, but he didn't recognize it.

Raphael pointed Soul Calibur at the figure. "How do you know my name woman? And if you come any closer I'll take your life." he threatened. But the girl did not seem to care, and suddenly vanished from her spot. Raphael turned this way and that, but could not see her. She had disappeared, yet he could still hear her voice surrounding him. It said, **"Now now Raphael, you don't want the goddess of darkness to take your soul do you?"**

That was the last sentence that he heard before everything turned black...


	2. Chapter 2: The Ruler of Dark Souls

Chapter 2: The Ruler of the Dark Souls

* * *

Raphael awoke to find his wrists and ankles in chains, having no idea where he was. It was clear however, that he was in some sort of dungeon that wasn't in his castle. The dark lord attempted to stand – despite the chains holding him back- but he instantly found out that he was unable to do so.

"Good to see that you're awake, Sorel." said a nearby cruel, merciless voice. "I was beginning to get rather impatient. I don't like to be kept waiting, you know." Raphael jumped and saw that it was the same voice from the exact same woman that had threatened to take his soul away! What had she said when she stated that threat? She had said "Now now Raphael, you don't want the goddess of darkness to take your soul do you?". "The goddess of darkness?! …Donna?!" said Raphael in a shocked tone toward the figure.

The figure stepped into the light of a nearby flickering torch and stopped short, her intimidating eyes staring into his. Now Raphael could clearly see all the goddess' features: long, black hair that reached to her ankles (with one magenta streak in her bangs), pale skin, a thin body, bright scarlet eyes, thick eyelashes, ash grey armlets studded with rubies, black knee high boots, and a blood red dress with a scarlet sash. The goddess looked at Raphael, now in a very serious and annoyed mood. "That's Dionna you idiotic mortal. You're supposed to say it like Die-own- uh. Sound familiar to you, at all?" she said, as she moved over to a nearby mirror and began to brush her extremely long hair. Goddesses. They're always about their appearances.

Raphael smirked slightly. "Oh, yes, I've heard about you." he answered. "The peasants from that village known as 'Furan' talk about you all the time. They say that if someone does a horrible thing, you're going to curse them."

Raphael just stared at Dionna, knowing what powers she was capable of. Dionna was known for luring innocent people into the underworld just to take their souls to keep her beauty. "But…. don't you just eat souls all day?" he asked. Dionna continued brushing her hair, but said, "Well, the answer is no. You see Raphael, I'm not really the merciless killer every mortal says I am. That's the job of my servants."

Soon, she paused brushing her hair and leaned close to glass on the mirror, brushing something out of her face. Once done, she continued brushing and continued from where she had left off. "While it is true that I can take people's souls as punishment, I can also grant their one and only wish, or change his or her fate."

Raphael was interested in her response, but he however, still had one pending question to ask. "Where have you brought me and why?" he demanded, attempting to stand once again. Dionna smirked. "I have brought you to my humble abode – the underworld- to make a deal with you. One that I think you'll find quite to be appealing."

Raphael looked at the goddess of darkness confused. "Her? A deal? With someone like me?" he questioned himself.

Dionna suddenly stopped brushing her hair and turned towards Raphael, batting her eyes like she was the only girl for him. Leaning in close, she whispered with a smile, "The deal is actually quite simple: I give you a power far greater than both the soul swords, and you… become my obedient servant **_for life_**."


	3. Chapter 3: Bound by Greater Darkness

**Chapter 3: **

* * *

Servant. The word stuck into his brain and caused a huge flow of mixed emotions to overwhelm him. "Your servant?!" Raphael yelled at Dionna. "How dare you try to make me – a man of noble blood- into a pathetic low class servant!"

Dionna smiled. She had expected that exact answer from him, so she decided to keep the ball rolling, and make the deal a bit more tempting for the suffering noble. "How about this Raphael: You accept the deal, and not only will I give you power, but I will also satisfy whatever you need at this very moment only. Hunger, thirst, anything. What do you say?" she said, smiling ever so sweetly and extending her right hand.

Raphael was too desperate at that very moment to have second thoughts. He reached out his hand to hers, until he saw that Dionna's right hand was being enveloped in a blackish mist. He instantly drew his hand back and said, "Look Dionna, I know that you're a goddess and I'm just a mortal. That puts you above me. But I'm afraid I'll have to pass."

Dionna was furious at the man's foolish response. She was so close to having a new servant, yet the idiot had to back off at the last second! "The fool wouldn't know right from wrong even if it slapped him in his hideous face!" she thought to herself. (Dionna considers herself the most beautiful being on the planet so even people that appear handsome to most seem ugly to her.) "You will do as I say, or your precious Amy becomes mine for eternity!" she shrieked.

Raphael didn't respond. He didn't want to loose his beloved daughter, but he didn't want Dionna to be bossing him around either. This was probably the hardest decision of his life. "Dionna said she could change a person's fate." Raphael said to himself. "My response to this will most certainly change mine."

He thought everything over. If he became Dionna's servant, would Amy accept him for what he would be? And if he refused, would he be able to protect her? If he couldn't defend Amy, he would never forgive himself...

"WELL?!" Dionna shrieked, now completely lost of her patience.

Raphael sighed and lowered his head, preparing himself for what outcome would result from his response to her.

"I'm afraid I'll have to decline." he stated calmly while staring directly into the goddess' fearsome red eyes. He then narrowed his eyes. "And you will not, I repeat: will _**not**_, get to Amy. If you try to take her from me, I will fight until every last drop of blood has spilled from my body to protect her."

Dionna took a few, slow steps backwards. She was now back to being the calm, cold, emotionless person she was before. "You know what Sorel? So be it then." she sighed angrily. She then whipped out her weapon, a snake sword, and used it to slice effortlessly through his chains.

Now freed, Raphael slowly began to walk away from the depressing looking walls of the underworld throne room, when he suddenly felt something tighten around his left arm, digging in sharply. He turned and saw that Dionna had used her snake sword to stop him in his tracks, an evil smile now played on her face.

"Did you **really** think that I was going to let you go so easily Sorel? Well guess what? Your decision doesn't matter anymore!" she cackled, as the black mist surrounding her hand worked its way towards Raphael. "And don't try to break free. My sword tightens the more you struggle against it." Dionna giggled, as seeing people struggle and scream in pain is quite an entertainment for her.

Raphael couldn't believe it. He, of all people, would now be a servant to the goddess of darkness! Fear was completely overwhelming him now, as the black mist slowly made its way to his arm. But as the mist got closer, his vision started to darken and grow fuzzy.

The last he heard before darkness swallowed his vision was Dionna's evil laughter echoing through the halls of the underworld…..

Until he suddenly found himself back in his castle throne room, lying on the floor. Looking around, he saw that Marienbard, Auguste, and Jacqueline's lifeless bodies were still on the floor. Yet Soul Calibur was no where in sight.

Was it all just a dream? Nonsense! It had all felt so real!

Raphael attempted to stand, and found it easier to do so, as his strength was now returning. But something was off. His left arm was now throbbing with almost unimaginable pain. Raphael moaned as he held his arm, when his daughter Amy and Christophe suddenly rushed in.

"Father! Are you alright?" Amy asked as she rushed over to help him up. "Y-…yes Amy. I can assure you I'm fine." he replied, relieved that Dionna hadn't taken her away after all.

Raphael sighed as he wrapped his arms around her. Maybe it had all been just a trick. A lie. Maybe Dionna had threatened to take Amy only to make him afraid. Maybe Dionna would never take her away from him after all.

And yet, some part of his mind seemed to tell him that that wasn't true...


	4. Chapter 4: Plans

**Chapter 4: Plans**

* * *

(Raphael's Castle- Dinning Room)

"Y-you're saying that Tira broke into the throne room and stole Soul Calibur?!" Raphael asked his daughter in a shocked tone of voice, nearly chocking on his forkful of food. Quietly, Amy nodded her head, a twinge of guilt showing on her face.

"Christophe, the new servant you hired recently, and I were in the library when we heard yelling coming from the throne room where you and the other servants were." she said, explaining how the events unfolded. "Then there was the shattering of glass and we rushed to the throne room after hearing her voice. But by the time we got there, she was just about to jump out the window. Then..." Amy suddenly paused, shuddering as she recalled what happened.

"Then what?" Raphael asked, beginning to feel tense.

"She... she looked at me and said..." Amy sighed, then began to imitate Tira's voice the best she could although she was stuttering slightly due to being afraid, an emotion she didn't feel often. "'L-Lady... D-Dionna requires this sword for her... plans. You're going to be part of her family soon enough, little butterfly, just like your father.'"

Raphael gritted his teeth and cringed after hearing the name. _Dionna?!_ What could she possibly want with the _holy_ sword?

Seeing her father's face, Amy slowly got up and walked over to where he was sitting, and looking him in the eye, said, "Father, I know you risked your life and worked hard to try to make a new world for me. But I'm still here for you. You don't need to be afraid." She smiled sweetly; the smile that Raphael had always loved to see every morning.

Raphael sighed, calming down. She was right: she was still here, not captured by Dionna. He smiled at his daughter, and sat down, resuming their meal together. But somewhere in the back of his mind, a sinister voice that sounded awfully like Dionna's was saying, "You're mad at your servant, right? He did nothing to prevent your plan from resulting in absolute _failure._ Kill him as punishment like you did for the other three. Let his soul become mine…"

Amy's voice broke the sudden silence after awhile. "...Father?" she asked timidly after sitting back down in her chair. "Who is... Dionna?"

Raphael remained silent, struggling to find an answer. He took a deep breath.

"I... I don't know..."

* * *

(Next morning. The forest on the outskirts of town.)

He did not want to leave Amy alone again, but he had to get his mind off of what Tira had done to ruin his plans. This was not a killing mission, just a walk….

But suddenly, he spotted two people, a man and woman, walking together. The girl appeared to be Asian, Chinese perhaps, wore all light blue clothing and had her brown hair in two pigtails. The man had equally dark brown hair, strange looking dark blue apparel, and a rod for a weapon.

He recognized the male instantly. Kilik. This man with the Kali-Yuga had fought him a couple times before, but that was during Raphael's pursuit of Soul Edge, and he had put that sword behind him long ago.

He did not want to kill anybody today on this walk, but the thirst was returning, and he had his eyes on Kilik's girlfriend….

* * *

"Xianghua! Nooo!" Kilik yelled, struggling, leaning on his Kali-Yuga to get up after Raphael hit and sliced his body severely to get to Xianghua. But it was too late: Xianghua was now dead due to Raphael drinking all of her blood. Kilik watched in horror as Raphael wiped his mouth and let go of Xianghua, her body crumpling to the dirt ground; her eyes: empty and lifeless. Raphael picked up his now speckled red rapier, and made his way towards Kilik, whose eyes now showed fear. Raphael smirked, and swung his sword gracefully.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

And then the man breathed no more.

Strange. This feeling felt almost satisfying to Raphael, as he stared at the fresh blood trickling down his sword and wetting the dry soil under his feet…..

Raphael shook his head. What had he done?! He had just killed two innocent peasants! (Well, almost innocent. Kilik had interfered with his plans once or twice as well.) He clenched his fist as memories of his experience with Dionna came flooding back, and his left arm still throbbed with the same unimaginable pain.

He suddenly cringed as the sound of hands slowly clapping together came closer to him. Slowly, he turned and was face to face with Dionna, her bright eyes shining brightly in the shadows of the trees she was hiding in. "Well done." she said, smiling as she ceased clapping her hands. "I saw the whole thing. You did a fine job disposing of those two mortals."

**She suddenly reached out and snatched the front of Raphael's outfit, pulling him close to her. "Now..." she said, icily, as she took out her sword. "Let's get moving, Sorel. You have some work to do..."**

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	5. Chapter 5: Respect

I own Jessica, Dionna and Xion. The rest belongs to Namco's Soul Calibur

Chapter 5: Respect and Sorrow

(Town of Furan- I made up the town myself)

Her yellow-gray eyes reflecting the bright sunlight, 14 year old Jessica Roseburg walked along the street corner, clutching the hilt of her sword nervously. This area of town was usually avoided due to the countless number of people who had been murdered here, so she wanted to defend herself and leave as soon as possible. But she couldn't just avoid it. No. Not while she was here. The girl had to pay her respects to one person…

Tears springing to her eyes and her hand trembling, she placed a pure red rose on the very spot where she had witnessed the death of the very person she loved most: Her mother. It had only occurred five years ago, but the event was still fresh in her mind. Jessica wiped her eyes with her sleeve and brushed her chestnut hair out of her face as the memory returned, as vivid as if it occurred only yesterday….

(Five years earlier)

_"N-No mother, p-please! D-Don't… Don't die. Please!" Jessica wailed, as she held her mother's dying body in her arms. Her mother lifted her arm with great care and struggle, and touched her young daughter's tear stained face. "Jessica…" she whispered "Take my sword… and amulet as well…" Jessica stared at her mother, her face mixed with sorrow and confusion. "B-But why mother? You know I'm not good at s-sword fighting." she stammered, the thought of killing others with violence frightening her once more (She used to be someone who feared hurting others. Now she's only afraid of her own death.). "S…So you can… be with me…" her mother whispered, now very close to death. _

_Jessica tightened her grip around her mother's arm, not wanting to ever let go of the one who had always been there for her, besides her older sister. She reached over and plucked the amulet away from her dying mother with care. The nine year old stared back into her mother's silvery gaze. Her voice barely above a whisper, Jessica's mother said, "I… love you… and I… always will…" She then fell silent. Her hands: now cold. Jessica's eyes widened. "No…" she said to herself, tears now falling faster than ever._

_"NO!"_

….

Jessica fingered with her amulet for a minute after thinking about what had happened five years ago with the death of her mother. Her sword and amulet were all that were left of her presence…

She suddenly felt eyes on her…

But these were the kind, caring, understanding blue eyes of only one person…

She turned around to face the person behind her. Yep, it was defiantly her. "Hi Xion." Jessica said smiling sweetly. Xion smiled back; a smile that was filled with sympathy…

While she was still her friend, Jessica couldn't help but sometimes feel jealous of how fancy Xion's clothes always were. While she always wore a sky blue long-sleeved shirt, an ash gray cape, black pants, her pure blue amulet, and tree bark brown shoes, Xion always had the perfect, fancy style of clothes. And this was not because Xion had a better taste in fashion, (which is something she actually doesn't care much for) but because she was a magic wielder: a person chosen by the gods to wield rare and special magical powers. You could usually tell if someone's a magic wielder by their unusual style of clothes, and by the fact that there is usually a hint of mystery and suspense in their voice.

Xion was no exception when it came to unusual fashion. People in Furan typically didn't go around wearing long dresses as their everyday outfits. Xion's dress was night black and went all the way down to just above her knees. She had a matching color hat that resembled a bonnet, and ash gray boots that went up to her knees. She was tall and thin, with pure blue eyes, and spring green hair…

Xion's sweet smile suddenly faded, changing to an expression of worry and fear. "Jess… There's a new evil that has been awakened. I fear that you will cross paths with it…"

End of Chapter 5.

_**Yeah, so that might've been a little long and boring, but I had to get into detail with their appearances considering they're OC's.**_


	6. Chapter 6: Nightmare

Two months. It had been two months since Dionna had first taken him to the Underworld.

For two months, he had watched as innocent people were slaughtered, homes were burned, and things were destroyed, all by his own hands. For two months, the nightmares in his sleep never ceased, causing him to relive the memories over and over every time he closed his eyes.

And all that time, while he had suffered, Dionna had watched him. Smiling. Urging him on to spill more blood and cause more destruction.

He just couldn't. He couldn't take it anymore. He longed to be free from her grasp. To live happily again with Amy, his beloved. To no longer hear the goddess' voice in his head….

"**Hmmm… Trying to resist again, Sorel?" **Dionna said, clearly amused by his struggle.

Raphael turned around with a start, grasping his rapier tightly. It was dark. He couldn't see anything in front of him. It was pitch black.

"L-Leave me alone!" he cried. "I... I don't want this anymore! I hate serving you!" He had said this many times before, but Dionna every time still refused to set him free.

He suddenly felt his throat being grasped tightly. He felt weak. He could hardly breathe…

"Is THAT a way to treat your master – a goddess – Sorel?" Dionna replied, in an annoyed, yet soothing voice. She obviously found the joy in toying with him. "Well then, if you feel that way, let me use your mind for a bit…."

"**You cannot escape the grasp of darkness, ever. As long as there is light in the world, darkness will always seek to overcome it. It is everywhere….**

**And I am your shadow…"**

He woke up.

Dionna's final words to him stuck in his head like a weapon stabbing it's opponent.

Raphael glanced around. He could see again, and it seemed that he was still in the forest from earlier. It appeared to be mid afternoon….

He smelled blood. Blood that he had the taste of many times before.

He turned, expecting to see another person bleeding to death. But there was no one. He was alone.

Then he saw that there was blood stains on the tree where he was resting, and he realized where he was: The place where he first fought his rival, Jessica Roseburg

He despised her… yet…. Why? He couldn't pin down WHY he hated the girl.

He heard footsteps behind him, inching closer slowly, as if the person who was walking was watching his every move. It was her. She always walked like that whenever she was about to fight.

"Jessica. Hello again." Raphael said, in a serious tone.

"Hello Raphael." She replied back, drawing her mother's sword from its sheath. "You've been killing innocent people around here, haven't you? I can sense it. It's tainting your soul, and yet you ignore it."

Raphael drew his rapier, and turned to face his rival.

"En Garde"

She charged right at him. So they were again going to fight…. Would she finally win against him?


	7. Chapter 7: The Answer is Pity

"En Garde"

Jessica charged right at Raphael, her blue blade gripped tightly in both her hands.

"…Can I really beat him this time?" she wondered to herself. But there was no time for her to think. She was close to him now…

It was time to make her first move.

One slash. Then another. Two more. Up… left… down… right… diagonal...repeat… Jessica's blade routinely danced through the air with a faint ringing sound. Yet with every offensive attack she tried to throw at him, Raphael always seemed to have a counter attack that was better than her own. The two rivals were fighting back and forth. They were two people locked in a dance of battle.

Letting his rapier gracefully dance along side his rival's own blue sword, Raphael never took his crimson red eyes off of the yellow-grey eyes of his opponent. And neither did she.

Yet while the two were fighting each other, Raphael began to remember the very first time they met each other a little more than a year ago….

_"If I may ask, jeune fille, what is your name?"_

_"…Jessica. Jessica Roseburg."_

_"I see… So, Jessica, I see you have… quite an impressive sword there."_

_"Oh, this? This is my mother's sword."_

_"Your… mother's?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Hmm… Then I don't suppose you know how to fight with your mother's sword, do you?"_

_She stared up at him with her chestnut-colored bangs hanging in front of her eyes. _

_"I may only be fourteen… but I can fight. And I'm going to get better. I will."_

_"Well then, your determination does seem great, for someone your age….." he said, drawing his rapier._

_"…but how's your footwork?"_

That memory…. it distracted him. It haunted him. He wanted the memory to stop playing over and over in his head. He wanted to erase her from his mind…

But he couldn't, no matter how hard he tried.

He could feel anger and hatred swelling up deep within him. "Why?" he asked himself. "Why do I hate her so much?! She's only a child!" He couldn't stand to look at Jessica for another moment. In that instant, all emotions left his brain, and left only one goal: Get rid of her.

Jessica suddenly felt her left shoulder being forcefully grasped by Raphael's right hand. She raised her sword to deal a fatal blow… when she suddenly felt a sharp pain…. A pain she always wished to avoid feeling…

She looked down, and saw that Raphael had thrust his rapier into her chest. She was now bleeding ever so quickly. Her bright red blood hit and stained the soil near their feet. But she didn't scream. She was brave. The fifteen year old swordsgirl looked up at Raphael's face, and saw an emotion of hatred in his eyes.

Raphael stared back at his rival. She wasn't afraid of him? She wasn't afraid of her moments away death?!

He then realized WHY he hated her so much. It was embedded… deep within her eyes….

"Pity…. Do you pity me, Jessica?!" he yelled at her, yanking his sword out of her chest. Raphael heard her gasp in pain as she clasped the necklace around her neck, dropping to her knees. He then sighed, calming down as he stared deep into her dying eyes, and said…

**"I don't need your pity."**

She dropped to the forest floor.

No doubt about it.

She was dead.

Raphael gave a quick sigh of relief, thankful that the battle was now over. He turned and began walking away from Jessica's body, but soon stopped.

A look of confusion showed on his face as he walked back over to Jessica's body, kneeling down beside it. It was faint, but... he could hear her...breathing...

She... She wasn't dead?

* * *

**End of Chapter 7**


	8. Chapter 8: Water Healing

**Chapter 8: Water Healing**

Raphael stared at Jessica's limp, lifeless body. "She… pities me." he said out loud. "Did she… Did she know?" He just couldn't leave. There were too many questions that he wanted to still ask her. He bent down, and grabbed the teenage girl's hand delicately. He had fatally stabbed her, but maybe… just maybe…

Maybe there was still time to save her.

He had seen a stream during his earlier walk, so he decided that he would bring Jessica there. Raphael put his rapier into its sheath and carried the young swordgirl over to the shallow stream. He bent down and stuck his hand into the water to splash it onto her. It was cold. Really cold. But it would have to do. As Raphael began to wash the blood away, he couldn't help but stare at Jessica's blue necklace. Every single time that they had fought she had worn that necklace… but why?

That question soon left his mind when he realized that Jessica's wounds were healing when coming into contact with the water! He didn't know what to think. He had seen nothing like it happen before. It was so bizarre! He laid her back down on the ground as her final wound finished healing, and stepped back. After a moment, he heard her moan slightly and she soon opened her eyes. She stared back at him; dazed, and a little bit confused.

"R-… Raphael?" she whispered to him as she began to sit up, unsure of what happened. Jessica placed a hand on the spot where his rapier had punctured her, and her eyes widened when she realized that it was completely healed. "D-Did you-"

"Heal you?" he asked. "Yes."

He reached out his hand to help her back up. "Consider this one fight a draw." he said with a smile. Jessica hesitated for a moment, expecting him to be lying and going to attack her if she grabbed his hand. However, after seeing that he was in fact telling the truth, she grabbed his hand and pulled herself back up to a standing position.

Raphael's smile then faded, as he remembered the pity that he had seen in Jessica's eyes during their fight. "Jess… L-Let me ask you something." He said, lowering his gaze. "During our fight earlier… did you… sense anything… different about me?"

Jessica fingered with her necklace, in deep thought. "Actually… yes." she replied. "When you stabbed me during our fight, I had a vision. You were being tormented by the goddess Dionna."

Raphael was shocked. She knew what happened?! He shook the thought out of his head for the moment. He had a lot more on his mind that he had to ask her.

"Jess, if you don't mind… would you tell me… about that necklace around your neck?"

Jessica sat down on the ground, hugging her legs close to her body. "Sure." she replied. "It all started when my mother was still alive…"

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	9. Chapter 9: The Mark of the Raven

**Chapter 9: The Mark of the Raven**

Raphael had returned to his castle sometime after his discussion with Jessica. He wished to be alone in his room to think about what he had learned, bur after being greeted by a relieved, tear-stained Amy, he felt that it would be best to put what he had learned aside and focus on cheering up his beloved.

The servant was preparing them some evening tea while the two nobles sat by the large fireplace. Amy was staring silently at the flames. While her face was emotionless, there was something in her eyes which was unsettling. Before Raphael could ask her what was wrong, she forcefully stabbed at him with a question that he did not expect to hear from her:

"**Father, why did you go after Soul Edge?"**

Raphael was very taken aback by what she said. "Amy, what are you saying? I never went after Soul Edge. I- …. I mean, _we_ do not even have a use for that sword anymore." Amy turned her head towards him. It was a look of teary frustration. She then held up a letter and handed it to him saying, "Then why in the world did you write this?! I thought you had died!"

Raphael took the letter from her, and quickly glanced at it. He could not recalled ever writing a note for Amy, but whoever did had perfectly copied his handwriting. He looked at Amy and saw that she was sobbing. Raphael placed his hand on his foster daughter's shoulder. "Amy, we have both been through a lot this past week. Would you be a good girl and get ready for bed early so that you can be okay tomorrow morning?"

She looked back at him. "You're not telling me to go to bed so that you can go after Soul Edge, are you?" she asked. "Amy, I didn't write this letter, and I'm most certainly not leaving you anytime soon." her father said with a smile. He then kissed her head and ruffled her red hair before she went up to her room. After watching her close the door, Raphael went to his room as well.

Raphael never slept often, but he felt that getting some sleep would help him to forget about all that was going on. After closing the door, he took one last look at the strange note. It was a flawless copy of his own handwriting on a neat piece of paper. But there was something strange near the signature. Right next to where the letter was signed, there was some sort of symbol. The symbol was that of some sort of bird with its wings outstretched. A raven. There was a sword going right through the center of the raven, and the whole thing was the color of dark blood. "Who could've sent my daughter this horrible lie?" he asked while staring at his reflection in the mirror that was as tall as he was.

"**I must say… it was quite entertaining to see her cry."**

Raphael clenched his left hand into a fist. It was Dionna again. He reached for his rapier, but it wasn't in its sheath! The lord of the night searched the room, but he couldn't see Dionna. He could only hear her voice.

"…**Oh, the way that she sobbed… and the anger that clouded your mind as you looked at my letter… it amused me so."**

Raphael stared back at the mirror in his room. His reflection wasn't his anymore: instead it was Dionna, smiling and staring back at him with her bright red eyes.

"You wrote the letter?" Raphael asked her, clenching his fist even tighter. He hated being tormented by the goddess of darkness. He hated all of the suffering that he had to go through while she watched in amusement. Raphael stared back at the mirror. Dionna still replaced his reflection.

"HOW DARE YOU MAKE MY BELOVED DAUGHTER CRY!" he yelled as he began to furiously punch the mirror in anger.

Raphael continued to punch the mirror until all the glass was gone.

He suddenly felt both of his arms being grabbed. Raphael turned his head and saw that Dionna was right next to him, smiling innocently. At least, as innocent as an evil woman could make herself look. Batting her eyes, she whispered into his ear, "You've kept your part of the bargain, so it seems that I'll have to begin with my part."

Using one hand to cover his mouth, Dionna said to Raphael, "Oh don't worry, it won't hurt… much."

As soon as that was said, Raphael felt a searing pain on his left hand. It was like he had stuck his hand into the fireplace, but it hurt a lot more. He wanted to scream in pain, but Dionna's hand prevented him from doing so. The pain was making him feel dizzy. When the pain finally stopped, Raphael could see the exact same mark of the raven that was on the letter burned onto his hand. Then, Dionna grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the mirror. Raphael could see that they were entering some sort of hidden underground passage.

As soon as they stepped through the mirror, the opening which they had entered disappeared.

Dionna strutted down the stone path, beckoning Raphael to follow her. She smiled, saying, _**"Come on Sorel, let **__**us go and see if you are worthy of wielding the demonic blade."**_

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	10. Chapter 10: Les Ailes de la Mort

**Chapter 10: Les Ailes de la Mort**

Dionna had led him to a dark area that appeared to contain a sword that was stuck in the ground. Raphael had expected to see Soul Edge, but this was a completely different sword. The sword looked a lot like his Flambert, but it had some differences. This mysterious blade was a dark purple, almost completely black. Its hilt was lined with blood-red streaks, in the shape of what appeared to be thorns.

"**L'aile de la mort**" he heard Dionna quote in perfect, fluent French. "Death's wing" Raphael continued to stare at the sword, wondering why the goddess had brought him to the sword. Dionna answered his question, as if reading his mind.

"I want to know if you are worthy of wielding it. Try to pull it out." she commanded.

Raphael grabbed the hilt of the sword, and hesitated for a moment. "If I do pull this out, will a disaster occur?" he wondered. Then again, he might not be worthy of the sword at all. But he would still try anyway.

He attempted to pull the sword up, and it came out of the ground with ease. Immediately, Raphael could feel power flowing through him. Power that seemed to surpass even that of Soul Edge. Dionna smiled. "I was right. You clearly _are_ worthy of the sword."

Raphael went to put Death's Wing in his sheath, but Dionna stopped him and pointed to the raven mark she had burned onto his hand earlier. "Really Sorel, what's the need of sheathing it when you can simply summon and cancel it at will?" she asked playfully.

He realized that she was right – at a mere thought he could make the blade appear and disappear.

"It's an interesting sword, isn't it?" Dionna asked him. Raphael nodded his head in agreement. "I've never wielded anything like it before" he replied.

The two walked back towards the entrance. Dionna turned to Raphael, a more serious expression was on her face. "Sorel, now that I know that you are worthy of the blade, I'll let you decide who to kill or not kill. However, you will still follow my orders when I give them to you. Do I make myself clear?"

Raphael was surprised and suspicious of Dionna's statement at the same time. "So I still have to serve you, yet you're giving me more of independence?"

"In a way, yes." she replied, as Raphael began to climb through the entrance.

Dionna watched her servant go back through the mirror into his castle. As the entrance faded away, she smiled. There would be a surprise waiting for him…. and his shock would most certainly be amusing to her…

Back in his room, Raphael took one last look at his left hand. The raven symbol still showed against his pale skin. He was still curious about why she had put this symbol on him. Did it have something to do with his new weapon, or was there something more to it?

He didn't know how it happened, but the thought that he should check on Amy entered his mind. He decided that checking on her wouldn't hurt…

However, as he got closer to her room, he felt that something wasn't right. It was as if something had happened while he was gone, but no possibilities entered his mind. He couldn't have been gone that long… could he?

Raphael opened the door to his daughter's room. A few steps into the room and he could clearly see the problem: Her usually neat bed sheets here wrinkled, and they were soaked in some sort of substance, as was the carpet in some spots. He gasped as he realized what the substance was – her blood. Raphael flung the bed sheets off to find an empty bed, soaked with even more of his daughter's sparkling, crimson blood.

The smell of blood made him feel dizzy, a symptom he often had whenever his thirst for blood began to return. As the dizziness went away, he noticed a piece of paper on her table… with Dionna's symbol on it. Raphael took the paper and looked at it. He teared up and shook with anger as he read it. On the paper were words written in fine, lady-like cursive:

_See? I told you that your beloved daughter would one day be mine._

_Don't expect to see her again._

His beloved daughter was gone.

He had to tell someone about this.

And he knew just who to get help from.

He looked for a long time at the moon-lit sky.

"Amy, don't worry. I'm going to get you back home."

**To be continued….**


	11. Chapter 11: Enter the Temple of Nevri

**Chapter 11 – Enter the Temple of Nevri**

**(I'm just going to say this now, but from now on Raphael will be in his SCV player one costume. His SC4 costume is just too formal for this situation)**

* * *

Raphael had never been to the village Furan before, but he had to get Jessica's help and tell her what happened to Amy. As he walked through the crowds of people in the village, he lowered his hat to prevent any suspicion that he was malfested, asking someone every so often if they had seen a girl who looked about fifteen or sixteen with bright red hair in two curly pigtails and a black dress. Unfortunately, no one had seen his beloved Amy.

He scanned to crowd to see if he could spot Jessica anywhere. There was no one around him that he could see who looked like her. He was just about to give up when he suddenly saw a familiar looking ash-grey cape slip through the doorway of what appeared to be some sort of church or temple. Raphael followed.

When Raphael got inside, he was awe struck. He couldn't think how a pheasant village like this one could make such a beautiful place of worship. There were stained glass windows with vibrant colors, multiple Greek inspired pillars, a chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and bronze, silver, and gold statues of what appeared to be various gods and goddesses. He could see someone kneeling and praying near one of the statues.

It was Jessica.

Not wanting to disturb her moment of worship, Raphael hid behind one of the large pillars that went all the way from the floor to the ceiling to wait. He could see that there happened to be no one else anywhere in the temple…._**or so he thought.**_

Suddenly, without warning, he saw Jessica's head life up, and as she stood up she loudly said,

"**Malfested are forbidden from entering the temple of Nevri. You do not belong here."**

Raphael was just about to say something to reveal his identity to her, but he quickly stopped as he realized that she wasn't talking to him. On the second floor above them, he spied a hooded figure watching Jessica. The figure, he noticed, had on all black clothing and held a large iron paddle. Raphael watched as the figure jumped from the second floor to across where Jessica was standing and began walking towards her. At that moment, Jessica drew out her blue blade, prepared to defend herself in case of an attack.

Jessica was afraid of this stranger, but she did her best to keep a calm, serious expression. She could see the stranger's red eyes glow from underneath his hood. It was difficult to see his face, but the sword girl could sort-of make it out under the near pitch-black darkness caused by his hood. The figure then stopped, finally noticing her sword and amulet. After a moment of silence, he spoke to her.

"You're the powerful Jessica Roseburg? We were expecting you to be a much older fighter…"

Jessica was confused by what the stranger said. "_We?_" she asked him.

That's when she noticed that the weapon in his hand had some sort of eye on it, and it was _staring_ at her. She jumped as she heard the weapon suddenly _speak_.

"Powerful? C'mon Kaos she's just a teenager with a wacky sword."

At that statement, Jessica gripped her mother's sword tighter in anger. "Don't insult my mother's sword, okay?! I wield it because I want her to be proud of me when I become stronger."

The weapon's wielder, who Jessica assumed to be Kaos, said nothing. The weapon continued to talk to Jessica.

"Then I guess your mother won't be proud of you when Kaos turns you into a malfested like him!" he said. Jessica gasped quietly, scared about what she might become if she were to be turned into a malfested.

Kaos said nothing. He only smiled as he began to come closer to the girl. He could tell that she was afraid, but he wasn't one to be cocky. He had heard rumors that she could make ice shards appear with a simple wave of her hand, and stabbing her sword into the ground caused ice pillars to erupt out of the ground…

Jessica kept her eyes focused on her adversary. The fact that they were in a place of worship didn't mater anymore. She only wanted to stay alive….

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**

**Kaos is an OC made by Corruption-Virus as a request for this fanfiction.**


	12. Chapter 12: Fateful Encounter

**Chapter 12 – Fateful Encounter**

* * *

Xion walked through the small village square, attempting to make it back home as quickly as possible. Even though the young magic wielder lived alone, her small mansion was the only place in which she ever really felt safe from other people. Her younger years had taught her that the world outside her home was not as safe as she had been so naïve to believe.

As Xion continued through the crowd, some people turned their heads to stare at her. She was used to this by now, as she had had her magical powers for many years and had been looked down upon by many during that time. Xion wasn't one to share her feeling with people that often, as she felt that a person without magical powers would never understand the difficulties that she had to go through throughout her life. She even believed that people with magical powers would not understand. Then, about five years ago, Xion had met Jessica. Jessica helped Xion to realize that there are in fact people who can understand her, she just needed to be willing to let them understand.

Xion smiled slightly as she remembered this. The past often meant nothing to her, but she remembered the happy moments of her life as clear as glass. However, the pain that she had felt during her younger years she remembered just as well, and was a weight that she must carry with her until she died. That is, if she were ever offered the chance to die. _Truly_ die.

Xion suddenly stopped short, her eyes widening in surprise. The new evil that she had sensed months ago was in Nevri's temple! It would take some time to arrive, but she had to get there as soon as possible….

* * *

Back in the temple, Raphael continued to watch as Jessica and the boy, Kaos, continued their fight. Jessica, who had by now been badly cut on her shoulder and was bruised in a few places, was attempting to strike Kaos with her blade, but he was too quick for her. He was able to either block or dodge Jessica's attacks, but not without a little difficulty. Raphael eventually heard Kaos' blade speak to Jessica again: "Like I said earlier: powerful swordgirl my hilt! Fighting you isn't even a challenge for Kaos!"

Kaos didn't even smile at his weapon's comment. He wasn't cocky like his blade, but he had to admit that fighting this girl was easier than some of his past fights. Jessica gritted her teeth as her mother's blade collided once again with Kaos'. She stared, annoyed, at the eye that was on the blade, and said, "Okay, how about you just shut up metal head!"

Kaos' blade replied quite quickly after Jessica's attempted insult. "Metal head? My name is Antag! Also, I don't have a head." Jessica simply rolled her eyes and sighed as she attempted to strike once again. "Whatever." she said to Antag with an annoyed tone.

The two fighters were coming closer to the pillar near which Raphael was still hidden. Raphael glanced at the raven mark on his hand. He decided that he would get the fight to stop so that Jessica would be able to know what happened. He waited until Kaos was almost next to him, and in a flash he summoned the dark blade.

The priest boy felt cold metal pressing against his neck. He was stunned, since he had been surprised attacked. He hadn't noticed another presence in the temple, until now.

Even Jessica had stopped attempting to attack him, noticing the strange blade. She then heard a familiar voice speak to Kaos.

Raphael spoke in a voice and tone that he didn't even recognize as his own. It sounded more… in a word…sadistic, as if some sort of force from Death's Wing were influencing his mind: "Don't move. Don't even attack her. If you do, I'll make sure that every last drop of your blood will stain this blade. _Every last drop_." Raphael watched as Kaos raised both of his arms to show that he would not attack Jessica. The noble smiled as he made Death's Wing disappear.

Kaos had never seen this blond-haired man before, but it was clear that he was malfested, like himself. Before he could as who this man was, a familiar woman's voice spoke from somewhere in the temple:

"**I swear, I have to do everything around here! Don't you do anything I say, Sorel?"**

This voice… Kaos had heard it before.

It continued: **"Oh well. Every one of my servants starts out this way."**

He watched as a black-haired woman stepped into view, in front of the three of them. No doubt about it. It was definitely her again…

"Dionna." Kaos mumbled, gripping Antag in both hands.

Jessica, who had heard Kaos mumble, looked confused. "Dionna? Here?" she asked, gripping her blade tightly, in a mixture of anger and fear.

Dionna smiled, noticing Kaos and Antag. "Kaos. Antag. Hello again." Kaos' eyes narrowed as Antag stared at Dionna and spoke: "You again. What do you want?" Dionna simply continued to smile, taking out her black sword. "I am simply here to accomplish what my servant could not: causing some festive little bloodshed."

Dionna turned to look at Raphael, and frowned. She walked closer to him, saying, "Sorel, I told you that you had more independence. By that I meant that you could kill as you pleased. However, you haven't used the blade that I've given you once until now. And when you do use it you don't take this priest's life?! You deserve some punishment!" She then raised her sword to deal a painful blow to Raphael…

She suddenly felt something cold against her skin. Dionna turned and saw that Jessica had froze her arm to the pillar with… ice magic. Noticing this, Dionna played a curious expression across her face. "Oh, so it's true then. Ms. Roseburg really can use ice magic."

She then turned towards Jessica, who was trying her best to not show fear… to not appear weak. Foolish girl. She was weak whether she showed it or not. "But Jessica," Dionna continued, "You know what magic I can use?"

Jessica gasped slightly as she saw a small flame work its way around Dionna's frozen arm and _melt_ the ice.

_Fire magic._

Normal fire magic would be unable to melt Jessica's ice, but Dionna's magic was stronger. Noticing her sudden shock, Dionna smiled. "I suppose it's your mother's necklace that allows you to have these powers of yours. Perhaps… without it you are just a normal girl."

Turning away from Raphael, Dionna transformed her weapon from a sword into a whip-blade and beamed with excitement. "I'd like to test out my little hypothesis. This will be fun."

Jessica was too afraid to move. She watched the blades come closer and closer, and in desperation looked at Raphael in a way that begged for help. Raphael looked back at her, but said nothing. Jessica gripped her mother's amulet and closed her eyes, expecting to be in more pain than she had earlier experienced from her fight with Kaos…

She heard the sound of iron colliding with iron. Jessica opened her eyes and saw that Kaos had stopped Dionna's whip-blade with Antag. "W-Wait," Jessica said to Kaos, "y-you're helping m-me now?"

Kaos looked at Jessica, his red eyes visible from underneath his hood. "I know from experience. No one deserves to die because of Dionna."

Raphael stared at Jessica, and then back at Dionna. He knew that he now had the choice of either helping his rival, or serving Dionna. His mind was clearly in a struggle.

And he felt that deep within his soul, something wasn't right.

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	13. Chapter 13: Fate's Coffin Part 1

**Chapter 13 – Fate's Coffin Part 1**

Jessica was badly injured, and Kaos was busy fighting Dionna. If he didn't do something quick, he might not get another chance again. Raphael clenched his fist as he considered his choices: he could either serve Dionna and possibly never get the chance to see Amy again and he might also be considered a traitor by Jessica, or he could team up with Jessica and Kaos and risk his life to try to defeat Dionna, free himself from her grasp, and be reunited with Amy once again.

Raphael watched as Dionna suddenly threw her bladed whip-sword at Kaos, sending him flying across the room and tying him up against one of the large pillars. He heard Jessica gasp as she witnessed the same event, and she yelled at Kaos, "Are you alright?!" Kaos struggled against the blades that were keeping him tied to the pillar. "I'm alright." He replied back "Defend yourself!"

Jessica, however, was too slow to react. Before she even had the chance to even try to draw her sword, Dionna suddenly teleported behind her, a dagger now in her hand. She suddenly forcefully grabbed the young swordgirl and held the dagger at Jessica's neck, ready to cut slowly and painfully. Dionna then turned her gaze to look at Raphael. "Now Sorel, listen. You can either attempt to save this girl yourself and never get your beloved daughter back, _or_ you can simply kill her yourself instead." She then smiled evilly and continued "But I do know which one you are going to choose. I know you all too well. I know that deep down inside you truly despise her. She is your rival, after all."

Raphael summoned Death's Wing in anger. "You don't know me!" he yelled. He suddenly used his malfested abilities to teleport behind Dionna, and in his fury attempted to deal a blow so fatal that she would die. The instant that the blade cut her Raphael heard the dagger which she was holding drop to the floor with a clang as she gasped quietly, feeling the cold metal dig into her skin.

Dionna threw Jessica to the floor and turned her head to look at Raphael, smiling. "Did you really think that a weapon of my own creation could kill me?" she replied to Raphael, who looked in shock as the wound which he had just inflicted on her actually _healed itself_.

Dionna suddenly stopped smiling when she finally realized that her skin was not the only thing which he had slashed. The goddess of death ran her fingers through her raven colored hair, only to realize that it was now _much shorter than before_.

He had cut her beautiful hair.

Realizing this, her eyes widened and her face showed a mixed emotion of shock and anger. "You impudent, disrespectful mortal!" she shrieked, taking the dagger which she had dropped earlier and thrusting it into Raphael's right shoulder, making him sharply gasp in pain. Grabbing him forcefully, she gritted her teeth as she whispered to him, "You are going to learn to respect me. I will not tolerate these actions any longer!"

The last thing that Raphael heard before he and Dionna were suddenly transported back to The Underworld was Jessica attempting to chase after them, yelling "Wait!" with sad eyes that were praying for help.

Dionna was now furious, and began to drag Raphael towards what appeared to be a pure black coffin with the blood red raven mark on it. She thrust open the lid, revealing that it was empty, but not for long. The goddess of darkness shoved Raphael into the coffin, and glaring at him, she angrily said, "This will make you obey." She suddenly slammed the lid shut.

Raphael attempted to open up the coffin by pushing on the lid from the inside. However, by whatever possible means used, it was completely sealed shut. He could hear Dionna say something, but the coffin muffled any sounds that he tried to hear.

The only words that he thought he heard were "insanity" and "pain".

His head suddenly began to throb, and he felt that it became difficult to move. Whatever Dionna had planned for him, he would just have to do his best to resist.

Little did he know that that would become impossible.

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	14. Chapter 14: Fate's Coffin Part 2

**Chapter 14 – Fate's Coffin Part 2**

* * *

Jessica leaned on her sword, struggling to stand up after Dionna had attempted to slit her throat. She looked up, seeing Kaos standing above her, now free from when Dionna trapped him against the pillar.

"Aren't you going to kill me?" she asked him, gripping her amulet nervously. She saw the young priest shake his head, and he offered her his hand. After helping her up, Kaos looked towards the temple door. There appeared to be a commotion beginning outside after Dionna's appearance in the temple.

Kaos looked back at Jessica, his red eyes still glowing from underneath his hood. After picking up Antag and began to walk away, saying, "I must go."

As Kaos continued to walk away from Jessica, she questioned him by asking where he was going. He didn't answer her question. Before Kaos disappeared out of her sight, he stopped and mumbled so quietly that even Antag couldn't hear him: "It was an honor to fight you, Jessica Roseburg. I hope… no… I think we will meet again soon."

The temple doors flew open and in ran a girl of about sixteen with a black drees and spring green hair. Noticing Jessica, Xion ran over to her. "Jess!" she said in a relieved tone of voice "Oh thank the gods you're alright. I came as quickly as I could and -" She stopped talking, noticing the now bleeding cut on Jessica's shoulder. "Y-You're wounded! What happened?" she asked.

Jessica covered up her wound with her cape and said nothing, staring at the spot where Kaos disappeared. Somehow, she knew that they would cross paths again…

* * *

Raphael's head continued to throb the longer he stayed locked away in the coffin. He wondered how long he would be kept in here: a few minutes? A few hours? A day? Forever? He squeezed his eyes shut, trying his hardest to make the throbbing pain in his head go away.

When it did Raphael opened his eyes slowly, and he was both confused and shocked at where he was – the mansion in which he had grown up during most of his life.

How had he gotten here? Had Dionna sent him here? Raphael looked down at himself, and realized that he didn't have on the same clothes as before. Now instead of his purple shirt with the hat and sash, he wore his blue jacket, red sash, gold chain, and gloves that he had worn before he had met Amy. Was he… reliving his past?

A sudden harsh blow to his face caused Raphael to tumble to the floor. He blinked a few times to recover from the shock, and suddenly remembered a day which he had wished to put behind him forever.

He was now reliving the moment when he had been casted out from his own family.

A shadow fell over him, and the shadow's owner grabbed Raphael's jacket and pulled him upward, yelling. "How could you, thinking you could kill Monsieur Rochefort and not dishonor the family name?!" Raphael glanced at who had grabbed him. This person had the same color blond hair that he had, a similarly colored beard, and hazel eyes.

"Father…" Raphael pleaded "P-Please, I didn't mean to –"

"Silence!" his father yelled, throwing him to the floor once more, harder this time. Raphael breathed heavier and clenched his fist as his impact with the ground caused him to become bruised very badly.

It was after Raphael regained himself that he realized that he and his father were not alone. Someone was silently watching them from the far corner of the well-lit room. A woman. She was dressed in a dark green dress with frills on the skirt, and at the sleeves. Her blue eyes only stared at Raphael with a look of complete disappointment.

"Mother... please." Raphael begged quietly, struggling to get up off the floor. "Y-You have to believe me..."

His mother only shook her head. After a moment, she stared straight into Raphael's eyes and spoke:

**"Don't talk to me. You're not my son anymore."**

With those words, Raphael's eyes widened in shock as he watched his mother turn and walk out of the room. He then returned his gaze to his father, who was staring at him with anger in his eyes.

Staring into his father's eyes, he winced as he heard words that stuck into his brain like the dagger Dionna had pierced him with earlier:

"Get out! Now!"

* * *

With those words, the area around him seemed to change. Now, instead of being inside his childhood mansion, he was outside in a dark alleyway, where the footsteps of soldiers and the sound of gunshots rang about. He had his Flambert in hand. He was reliving a day that he had experienced an overwhelming mixture pain and fear: The day that he had attempted to flee France, with the soldiers in pursuit of him due to the murder of Monsieur Rochefort.

But he also remembered this day for another reason…

"He went this way!" a soldier's voice shouted close by, ringing throughout the area. Raphael wasn't sure which way to run. He only wanted to get away from the soldiers and find some sort of sanctuary…"There he is! I see him!" another soldier shouted, closer this time. Raphael glanced behind him, spotting two soldiers aiming their rifles straight at him. "Fire, men! Don't let him escape!" a third soldier shouted, pointing his sword at Raphael as Raphael ran as fast as he could to get away. He heard gunshots, and the fear made him want to run faster. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't outrun a bullet. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his shoulder, and blood spurted from where one bullet made impact with him. "Damn." Raphael mumbled as he fell down, clutching his bleeding shoulder with his other hand. But there was no time to rest. He had to hurry before he was captured.

Raphael stumbled into another ally, stopping to catch his breath. After a moment of rest, he suddenly felt a tug on his jacket. Looking down, he saw that it was a little girl. She appeared to be no older that eight years old, had bright green eyes, a dress that was poorly sewn together, no shoes, and bright red hair in two short, straight pigtails. "Come with me," she said quietly, "I can help you." Raphael looked at the poor girl with curiosity. "And who might you be, petite fille?" he asked as she led him to a place where he could hide from the soldiers.

"Amy"

* * *

The scene seemed to change again. Raphael saw that he appeared to be in some sort of abandoned church, yet the church bell still continued to ring every so often. He also noticed that he was fighting a powerful adversary: Nightmare.

Raphael recognized this moment instantly – his first battle with the Azure Knight in Ostrheinsburg.

Raphael braced himself for an attack multiple times, but every time he was overpowered by Nightmare's incredible strength. He fell to the ground, and the Azure Knight proceeded to attack Raphael even more. After one more large slash, Raphael squeezed his eyes shut as his blood stained the cobblestone he was laying on and the demon sword Soul Edge.

The pain was too much this time, and a painful scream emitted from his mouth.

* * *

The scene changed once more. This time, Raphael found that he was lying on a bed, and his bleeding wounds were bandaged. He recognized the room to be a bedroom in the mansion that he and Amy had "borrowed" before they lived in the castle. Looking around, he couldn't see Amy anywhere in the room... where was she?

Raphael's thought was interrupted when he noticed something strange. Holding up his left arm, he saw that near one of the bandaged wounds on his arm, there was a strange, purple aura radiating from it. He didn't think much of it, until he saw that the purple aura now made its way towards his left shoulder, which was also bandaged due to a severe wound.

"What is happening...?" he asked himself fearfully. His eyes widened as a single thought came into his mind while the purple aura continued to work its way around his body.

_Malfestation._

As soon as the word came into his mind, Raphael began to feel a sudden pain within his body, which was growing worse by the second. His breath quickened as the pain continued to increase, seemingly without end. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut as he tried to ignore the pain, but if was completely impossible. It felt like flames of fire were hurting him from the inside out.

The severity of the pain seemed limitless.

Suddenly, after awhile (which seemed like an eternity), Raphael couldn't take it anymore, and bloodcurdling screams of agony repeatedly escaped from his mouth.

* * *

Just when Raphael thought that the fire-like pain wouldn't end, it slowly subsided as the scene around him changed. Ostrheinsburg again.

He looked down at himself. His outfit was different. This time, instead of the outfit with the blue jacket, he wore a green jacket with a gold armor plate. Around his neck was a collared cape that matched his jacket. but had red inner workings and gold lining. His hairstyle covered a small part of his face, but it didn't make it impossible to see.

Raphael looked across from where he was standing and saw a young Asian girl with tan skin, a sleeveless, light-blue gown with red ribbons, and dark braided hair. He narrowed his eyes as he recognized who he was fighting.

"Wind priestess Talim..." Raphael said quietly, but still loud enough for her to hear. He then drew his sword. "The power of Soul Edge is to be mine and mine alone. No one is getting in my way!"

The young wind priestess calmly took out her elbow blades and looked at Raphael with sympathy. "I'm sorry, but I cannot allow you to go on." she said in a calm, determined tone of voice. "I must stop you."

The two of them then fought.

Raphael was able to quickly overpower Talim and knock her to the ground with his strength. As she hit the ground, she dropped her weapons, leaving no way to defend herself.

Raphael smiled evilly as he forcefully grabbed Talim, making sure that she didn't run away. He clamped one hand over her mouth and stared at her. Then he spoke:

"It's time for your nap... little one."

With that, Raphael lifted his head and sunk his fangs into the wind priestess' neck, drinking her blood as she struggled to escape. After a moment of drinking the girl's blood, he stopped, thinking about the taste. The flavor was... in a word... unique. It wasn't the foulest think to ever cross his lips, but it was better than suffering through another week without getting a meal.

He went to continue drinking Talim's blood, but soon he felt that something wasn't right within him. Without warning, Raphael released his grasp on Talim, and in the next instant, his throat and stomach felt as if they were on fire, causing him to throw up the blood which he had just drunk. He crumpled to the ground, gasping and squeezing his eyes shut as his stomach seized up in pain. It hurt to breathe...

As Raphael managed to open his eyes slightly, he could see Talim staring at him, eyes full of sympathy as she placed her fingers over the spot where Raphael had bitten her. Soon, she quietly spoke as the scene started to change once more:

"I'm sorry... My blood is too pure for you..."

* * *

The scenes continued to change, each showing a time in which Raphael had felt some level of physical pain, from a simple bruising to a slash so fatal that it could kill him.

The final memory that he relived in the coffin was Dionna stabbing him with her dagger earlier that day in the temple…

After the final memory ended, Raphael returned to the pitch-black darkness of the coffin. He attempted to open the lid again, but it was futile like before. Suddenly, a voice whispered in his head.

**"So, do you finally realize how weak you were?"** it said.

But it wasn't Dionna's voice this time.

_It was his own._

Before Raphael even had a chance to respond, the voice continued to speak. "Well, I can fix that…"

With those words, a pain that was like a million needles sticking into him shot throughout his body. As the pain continued, Raphael felt like some form of powerful insanity was taking over his mind…

When the pain ended, the lid of the coffin opened. Raphael sat up and rubbed his head, which had finally stopped aching.

Dionna gazed at her servant and smiled. His mind was now full of intentions and thoughts as evil as her own.

It was done. Nothing would be able to stop him now.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	15. Chapter 15: Dark Thoughts

**Chapter 15 – Dark Thoughts, Lustful Desires**

Dionna offered her hand to Raphael to help him out of the coffin. She watched him gracefully step out with no effort whatsoever, his eyes locked onto hers. _Eyes as red as mine_ she thought to herself _and a heart as black as the night. Perfect._

Without warning, Raphael suddenly released his grasp from her hand and fell to the floor, holding his head. The goddess of darkness did nothing but stare at her servant and wait. She knew that deep within her servant's soul Raphael's sanity would be constantly fighting his own insanity. It may be easy at first to fight it, but she knew that over time his insanity would grow stronger and stronger until his sanity was completely destroyed and he became completely mad and bloodthirsty...

All she had to do now was wait for him to accept that…

* * *

(Deep within Raphael's soul)

It was pitch black. He couldn't see more than three feet in front of him, yet he could sense a presence behind him. Turning around, Raphael was confronted by a being that looked exactly like him, except this version of him had eyes that were a much brighter red.

"Who are you?!" Raphael demanded, bravely taking a step forward. His bright-red eyed doppelganger merely smirked at the question and replied in a voice that was sinister and sadistic: "What does it look like? I'm you. I am your darkest thoughts and your most lustful desires. The part of you that you have fought so hard to keep hidden from the rest of the world."

At that statement, Raphael's face showed fear for a short moment before attempting to return to a serious expression. Turning around to hide his feelings, Raphael questioned his doppelganger:

"… What do you want of me?"

The more malevolent Raphael simply paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, the raven mark visible on his left hand, and replied:

"Being in that coffin and reliving your past has helped you to realize just how weak you were. I can help you forget your pathetic past and gain power. Power to overcome fear and slay all who oppose you one by one." Raphael turned to look his nefarious self in the eyes.

"I don't desire power." he said calmly, doing his best to not appear afraid. After a moment, he felt his doppelganger place a hand on his left shoulder.

"Maybe not," the doppelganger replied sinisterly "but you do desire _something_."

Raphael's burgundy eyes remained focused on his counterpart, who was smirking as if he knew exactly what it was that Raphael desired deep down inside. He heard his counterpart speak to him again, saying "I can help you get what you truly want. Just let me take over your mind and we can get started." Raphael averted his eyes once more. He felt his doppelganger lift his hand off of his shoulder, sighing and saying, "Then again, if you refuse, you can just keep on living your life as you do know, stay as weak as you are, and never get the chance."

Raphael clenched his hand into a fist. "I know what you're trying to do." he said. "You're really trying to make me into a bloodthirsty killer so that I won't leave Dionna. I'm going to say it now, and I hope you remember it: I will not become a monster."

His doppelganger smiled and laughed. "Oh, but that's where you have got it all wrong, Raphael." he said.

"_You're already a monster."_

With that, Raphael felt something grab hold of both his wrists and pull him down forcefully. Chains. Strong chains. Raphael gritted his teeth as he struggled to fight back, but the chains only pulled back even stronger. His evil counterpart walked in front of him, smiling sinisterly. "Now don't even bother to try fighting those chains, Raphael." he said. "They hold stronger the more you resist them."

Raphael watched as his doppelganger held out his left hand, and a blade that looked similar to Death's Wing appeared. It was still the same deep purple with the blood red thorns on the hilt, but this sword also had the blood red thorn design wrapped around the blade of the rapier as well. Staring at the much more menacing looking blade, Raphael heard his evil counterpart speak. "Once you finally come to accept your fate, those chains will let go. Until then…" Raphael suddenly felt the cold metal swiftly cut his right cheek, and he squeezed his eyes shut to try to ignore the pain. "… you're going to be here for quite some time."

Raphael opened his eyes again to see his other self walking away. "Wh-… What are you going to do?!" he asked, desperately trying to fight the chains once more. His doppelganger simply turned to look at him, smiling while saying, "Just going to satisfy a lingering thirst, first. And then…" He then paused and stroked his chin in thought. After a moment, he continued "Well… whatever Lady Dionna asks of me, because unlike you I wish to obey her." After he had finished speaking, a mysterious dark aura surrounded him, and after being enveloped in blackish mist, Raphael's doppelganger disappeared.

He was once again alone in the cold, pitch black darkness, left with nothing but the words his insanity told him. _"You're already a monster."_ he had said. "I won't." Raphael mumbled.

"I won't become like him."

* * *

Dionna watched as her servant finally stood up and looked straight into her bright red eyes. She could sense it. "It is done." she thought to herself. "Perfect. The insanity has taken over his mind." She then noticed that Raphael was looking at her as if he was longing for something…

Suddenly, without warning, Raphael grabbed her arms, lifted his head, and sunk his fanged teeth into her neck. Dionna gasped due to the unexpected and sharp pain, but then she smiled and laughed quietly as Raphael slowly stopped, realizing he wasn't getting any blood from her. "Sorel, Sorel, please." she said, in a calm, almost soothing evil voice "I don't bleed."

Raphael, still under the influence of insanity, noticed that the place where his fangs had punctured Dionna's pale skin was healing, just like the sword slash he had given her in the temple earlier. "Please, forgive me, My Lady." he said, giving a respectful, gentlemanly bow. "I... I was desperate. I promise I won't do it again."

"Never again?" she asked her servant.

"Never again. You have my word." he replied.

Dionna smiled and held her servant's hand. "But you and I both know someone who's blood you can drink to your heart's content."

She watched her servant smile sadistically. Now _this_ was the servant she desired.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**

**Will Raphael be able to fight his insanity?**

**Who will Raphael's victim be?**

**Find out in Chapter 16**


	16. Chapter 16: Crimson

**Chapter 16 – Crimson**

* * *

_Something is unsettling. I must keep my guard up. _

This exact thought continued to repeat itself in Jessica's mind as she pushed some thick branches out of her way, continuing through the forest at night. It wasn't easy for her to see, but she was still able to see quite well due to brightness of the full moon. After healing her wounds from her fight with Kaos yesterday, the young sword girl had made up her mind to head over to Raphael's castle to see if she could find anything that would help her to better understand what was going on. Or even better: find Raphael himself.

But traveling at night was dangerous, and Jessica knew this very well. Gripping her mother's sword nervously, and quietly mumbling a short prayer to Katani, the goddess of travelers, she continued on, not knowing what would be awaiting her arrival at an all too familiar part of this very forest…

"Pass the tall blood-stained oak tree, then travel along the river until you reach the bridge…" Jessica thought to herself, remembering the path which she had traveled a few times before to get to the town in which Raphael's castle was located. She stopped for a moment to take a quick rest, as she had been walking for quite some time. The young sword girl looked ahead of her and saw the oak tree past a large group of bushes. After a moment, she pushed her way through the bushes and entered the area where she and Raphael had fought multiple times in the past.

It was as if someone had been expecting her.

Jessica stopped short, noticing a figure standing next to the blood-stained oak tree, his back facing her. He didn't even turn around to see who had walked behind him. It was as if he knew who it was who had crept up on him. As soon as Jessica heard the figure speak out loud, she knew exactly who it was.

"Do you remember the very first time we fought here, Jessica?" the figure said. It was Raphael's voice.

"Raphael?" Jessica asked him, thankful that he was okay after Dionna took him away. "Oh, thank the gods. I was so –"

"Worried?" Raphael asked her, smirking while still keeping his back turned. "Yes, you always are."

Slightly taken aback by Raphael's remark, Jessica stood right where she was and stared at where he was, unsure whether or not she should draw her sword. She chose not to, not realizing that this would become a fatal mistake.

She watched as Raphael placed his left hand onto the large oak, staring at the blood stains, which were now dry due to time. "This is your blood, is it not?" he asked her.

Jessica knew that he was right: it was her blood that stained that very tree. She remembered the moment very clearly, even though it was slightly more than a year ago when the duel occurred. Apparently, Raphael remembered it just as well too.

"After you dropped your sword, I had grabbed you and forcefully pinned you against this very tree while you were still slowly bleeding from the various wounds that I had given you." Raphael said, describing the moment very vividly, which Jessica noticed that it seemed to be quite out of character for him. "Then I bit down on your neck as you screamed painfully and attempted to escape my grasp." he continued, smiling as he heard Jessica gasp quietly as she remembered that moment. "How unfortunate for you that it was futile, and I managed to drain your blood away until you were about to die."

"Raphael, please. That battle doesn't matter anymore." Jessica said (almost shouting) bravely. "I only wish to put the past behind us and let me help you be free from Dionna." She heard Raphael laugh quietly, and he turned to face her. "But Jessica, unfortunately for you, I've changed." He heard her gasp as she noticed his brighter red eyes. "What makes you think that I don't want to serve Dionna? Well, to tell you the truth, I actually find it quite enjoyable."

Jessica started to back away from him in fear, her eyes wide in shock. She saw Raphael lick his lips hungrily, and then, using his malfested abilities, he teleported behind her. Before she could even get the chance to react quickly enough, Jessica felt her arms being grabbed forcefully by Raphael.

"Y-You've gone c-completely mad!" Jessica said, her face showing a large amount of fear. Raphael continued to smile sadistically while staring at the full moon, and said, "Yes, and I intend to stay like this." He then turned his head to look at Jessica, and smiled so that his fanged teeth showed. "You on the other hand… do intend on being a coward forever?"

Raphael's eyes then noticed Jessica's crystal amulet. He nodded as an idea came to mind. Carefully, he untied the knot of string that kept it around Jessica's neck. When he completed this, he tossed the necklace aside and heard it land in the nearby bushes.

Jessica was now breathing quickly due to fear. She felt Raphael gently stroke her neck, which made her even more afraid. "Now, now, Jessica. Don't be afraid." Raphael said sadistically, still stroking her neck. "I'm just thirsty, that's all. Would it be alright if you help me quench it?"

* * *

_(Deep within Raphael's soul)_

Raphael's sanity, although chained, could hear everything that was going on. "No! Don't!" he yelled, trying multiple times to break free from the chains that held him down. He then saw his insane self appear out of the darkness, smiling.

"Really, why do you insist on helping her?" his insanity said. "You can't deny that you truly despise her."

"I don't want to suck her blood. I won't kill her." Raphael said, looking his doppelganger in the eye. His insanity laughed at what he had said, and he kneeled down to look at the chained Raphael.

"And just what are you going to do? Stop me? Oh, wait, I forgot: you can't as long as you're chained here trying to resist me." he said, laughing evilly.

"_Don't deny it, Raphael: We are the same."_

* * *

Jessica didn't even get the chance to speak before Raphael's fangs suddenly sunk deeply into her neck. He had bitten her multiple times before, but this time it hurt a lot more. She tried to scream out for help, but she was becoming weaker the longer Raphael drank her blood, making sure that he didn't miss a single drop. The young sword girl squeezed her eyes shut as tears began to leak from her eyes from the pain.

"This is it…" she thought to herself. "Without my amulet…I'm going to die… Mother…"

Raphael suddenly stopped drinking Jessica's blood and looked around him. He could've sworn that he had heard something coming from the bushes… Then again, it might've just been a nocturnal animal. Raphael merely shrugged and went to resume drinking Jessica's blood…

It all happened in an instant. Raphael was suddenly grabbed and thrown to the forest floor away from Jessica's body. He snarled and looked up to see a hooded figure with glowing red eyes holding Jessica's amulet and an iron paddle sword… with an eye.

"You…" Raphael said angrily, blood still trickling from his mouth. "I should've killed you when I had the chance, Kaos. I might as well take Antag and stab you with him until you are covered from head to toe in your own blood!"

Kaos narrowed his eyes as Antag responded to Raphael. "Oh! You remember us! But we're not afraid of you, right Kaos?" Kaos didn't show any expressions at his weapon's remark. He was only concerned on keeping Jessica alive, weak as she was. In a flash, he tossed Jessica's amulet over to her, then turned to Raphael, prepared to fight. "You must be stopped." he declared bravely.

Raphael looked at Kaos and then at Jessica, smiling as he wiped his mouth. He summoned Death's Wing and went into a fighting stance.

"Well then, let us dance."

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**

**Will Kaos be able to save Jessica? Find out in Chapter 17!**


	17. Chapter 17: Sanity Spell

**Chapter 17 – Sanity Spell**

* * *

Raphael and Kaos' weapons clashed multiple times, sending a ringing sound echoing through the forest night. The two opponents were so focused on each other that it was as if they didn't notice Jessica at all.

But, fortunately for Jessica, this was an opportunity. _Now_ was her time to act.

Her breathing was shallow, her vision was fading, and her body ached all over, but she had to get her amulet back on and get to the river if she was to get her strength back. Jessica gritted her teeth as her body struggled to move. She inched with difficulty toward her amulet, which, thankfully, was undamaged. The young sword girl slowly reached out her shaking hand out to grab it. She soon quietly breathed a slow sigh of relief as her hand closed around her amulet's dark blue crystal jewel.

Kaos had heard rumors about the mysterious powers which Jessica's amulet contained, that as long as she wore it water would heal her and she wouldn't die even if she were fatally stabbed. He wasn't sure whether to believe them or not, but if these rumors were in fact true, he had to prevent Jessica's attacker - Raphael, was it? (He had heard the entire conversation) – from attacking her again. He had to ensure that Raphael's gaze was kept on him instead of Jessica until she was well enough to fight again.

"This is simply a waste of time." Raphael said in an irritated tone of voice. "I might as well kill you now." In a flash, Kaos got a sudden harsh kick to the chest that caused him to drop Antag and topple backwards. Without warning, Raphael grabbed him forcefully, holding Death's Wing at Kaos' throat, ready to cut.

"So what'll it be, priest boy?" Raphael said, smiling sadistically. "Do you wish to die quickly, or would you instead prefer it if I _slowly_ put you out of your misery?"

"Neither!" shouted a voice from behind them. Kaos was then dropped after Raphael felt cold metal cut into his back, and he fell down due to the sudden pain. Kaos turned towards the source of the voice, and smiled as he saw Jessica, her amulet once again hanging around her neck. He then noticed that her hair and clothes were soaked with water, indicating that she probably forced herself into the nearby shallow river. Also, her wounds were gone and she looked much stronger that the weak state she was in earlier.

**The rumors were true. She really could heal herself with water.**

"Sorry about that." she said, offering a hand to help him up. "But I couldn't let him kill you, not after you saved my life back in the temple." "It's fine." Kaos said, picking up Antag. He then put his hood back up, as the forceful kick that he had gotten from Raphael caused it to flip down, revealing the rest of his face.

Raphael groaned slightly as he struggled a bit to get back up. He glared at Jessica angrily, his red insane eyes glowing. "So, you've managed to heal yourself." he said, sounding a bit irritated. He then smiled, as he suddenly remembered something. "But no matter." Raphael said, staring at his sword's blade reflecting the moonlight. "I can always strike you down and bite your neck again."

Jessica gritted her teeth and drew her sword in anger. "I don't think so," she said in a voice that was full of determination. "You were only able to suck by blood because I let my guard down. Well, I'm not going to let it happen again." Kaos then went into a fighting stance once more, and said, "Nor will I."

Antag then stared at Kaos, and appeared to be sort of irritated. "Kaos, you mean 'Nor will _**we**_.'"

"Antag, now is really not the time to be correcting grammar," Jessica said, charging towards Raphael.

The three fighters continued their duel, all three blades shining in the moonlight. Unfortunately, even with Kaos' help, Jessica still struggled to fight Raphael. It was like Raphael was much stronger than before… Was it because of his new weapon? He didn't have it before he arrived in the temple… And what was with the blood red symbol on his hand?

Jessica gasped as a thought suddenly came into her mind. "Dionna… she's made him like this, hasn't she?" she asked out loud. Kaos, hearing her, finally also noticed the raven symbol on Raphael's left hand. "No doubt about it." he said. "Only Dionna and her servants wear that symbol."

* * *

The blades continued to fly through the air for a long period of time. Both Jessica and Kaos were getting worn out, but Raphael didn't even have a scratch on him, excluding the wound Jessica had given him earlier on his back.

Jessica's body was tired, but she ignored it. Leaning on her sword, she forced herself to stand up. The young sword girl then yelled as she charged as fast as she could right at Raphael. She came closer… and closer… She prepared her sword to deal a strong blow…

Kaos' eyes widened. Jessica was becoming reckless. If he didn't do something fast…

"No Jess! Don't!" he yelled, trying to stand up as quickly as his tired body would allow him. But he was too late to warn her. Kaos watched in shock as Raphael gracefully made his sword slice through the air, sending Jessica's bright red blood spurting from the serious wound, some of it staining Raphael's outfit. Jessica moaned as she dropped her sword and placed both her hands over her wound to try to slow down the bleeding.

Kaos gripped Antag tightly with both hands. "Damn you!" he yelled, attempting to strike Raphael. But Raphael was too quick for him, and once again overpowered Kaos with another attack, sending the priest boy tumbling to the ground next to Jessica. He moaned as he attempted to sit up. Out of the corner of his eye, Kaos saw Raphael raise his sword to strike both of them…

Jessica then suddenly put her right hand up, as if she were trying to shield herself somehow. Kaos watched in awe as a blue light formed from her fingertips. What was she doing?

Raphael then brought his sword down to attack both of them. However, when his sword's blade was just about to strike Jessica's hand, there was a flash of blue light and his sword was stopped short. The blue light had formed into… a large, strong shard of ice.

Jessica's ice magic. She was using it as a shield to protect Kaos and herself!

Raphael tried multiple times to break the ice shard, but it didn't even crack. After four failed attempts to break the ice, Raphael appeared to be very ticked off.

"Why you-" he began to say. He was then interrupted by a mysterious invisible force, which pushed him off his feet and held him against the blood stained oak tree. He gritted his teeth as he attempted to escape, but whatever force had him pinned to the tree was strong and wouldn't him let go. Both Kaos and Jessica turned their heads to see who or what had caused Raphael to become pinned to the tree.

It was a girl who looked to be about Kaos' age, but it was someone whom he did not recognize. She had a black dress, a black bonnet, green hair, grey boots, and pure blue eyes. Who was she? Kaos could sense that she had a strong soul, and he noticed that her right hand was being surrounded by a bright green aura.

A magic wielder? He hadn't seen one in a long time…

Apparently, Jessica knew who this girl was and Kaos saw her smile.

"Xion!" Jessica exclaimed "I didn't-… What are you doing here?"

Xion turned her head to look at Jessica, but she kept a serious expression on her face. "I sensed that you were in danger. I had to help you some how." She then lowered her hand and the green aura surrounding it disappeared, making Raphael fall to the ground.

Raphael gritted his teeth in anger and reached for Death's Wing, only to have Xion stand in front of it to block him. He stared at her with a furious expression, his insane, bright red eyes glowing in the darkness of the night. "Move peasant girl, or you're next." he said threateningly. But Xion didn't move, and looked at him with an almost pleading expression.

"Please, think about what you are doing." she said in a tone that was a mix of being both commanding and pleading. "I know that deep down inside you don't want to be like this."

But Raphael didn't listen to the magic wielder's pleading words. Without warning, he lunged himself at Xion. The magic wielder was able to dodge Raphael's attack, but then she unexpectedly tripped and fell to the ground, making her vulnerable.

With Xion now vulnerable, Raphael swiftly picked up Death's Wing and made his way towards Xion, a grin spread across his face. As Xion struggled to get up, he placed the very tip of his sword under her chin, lifting her head up and making her eyes meet his own.

She was breathing rapidly, and there was fear in her eyes…but not a lot.

Raphael, still smiling, spoke to Xion in a quiet voice. "Now, now mademoiselle, don't fret. This will only hurt a little bit." He was about to make his sword cut Xion's neck when Jessica suddenly screamed "NO!" and charged at him. _**Without a weapon.**_

It was all so sudden, Jessica wasn't even sure how it happened, and neither did anyone else at that moment.

The young sword girl, with determination burned into her eyes, shoved Raphael to prevent him from hurting Xion. Raphael stumbled backward, and when he tried to regain himself, he raised Death's Wing to slash Jessica. At that very moment, Jessica's amulet began to glow, and as Jessica raised her right hand, a silvery-blue light enveloped it. She then slammed her right hand with a ton of force into Raphael, right where his heart was.

The silver-blue light then suddenly flashed in Raphael's eyes for a split second. When the light faded, his bright red eyes slowly returned to the dark burgundy ones of before. Raphael gasped quietly as he dropped Death's Wing… and crumpled to the ground.

He was now motionless and… unresponsive.

Xion and Kaos rushed over to Jessica, who was breathing rapidly and staring at where Raphael was lying. What had she just done?!

"Did… Did you kill him?!" Xion asked Jessica in a frightened tone, her eyes wide. Jessica didn't respond. She just continued to stare at Raphael's body.

"Well?! Did you?!" Kaos said, suddenly getting frustrated and grabbing Jessica, shaking her to get a response to escape from her lips.

"I… I… don't know…" Jessica mumbled, staring at her hands, which no longer were enveloped in light. Tears suddenly began to leak from her eyes.

"Did I… Did I really kill him?" she asked herself, making the tears fall even faster.

* * *

Unknown to the three of them, deep within Raphael's soul, the chains around Raphael suddenly broke.

He was free.

He was sane again.

But was his fight with his own insanity _really_ over?

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**

**What do you think? Is Raphael's fight with his own insanity finally over, or will it return?**

**Find out in Chapter 18**


	18. Chapter 18:Castle of the Night

**Chapter 18: Castle of the Night**

* * *

Dionna watched the entire scene play out through a small crystal orb as she sat on her ebony-black throne in The Underworld. She did not at all seem taken aback by what had just happened. In fact, it was what she had expected to occur.

Soon, a voice spoke to her from the shadows not too far from where she was sitting:

"**Jessica has made Sorel sane again. Aren't you going to do something about it?"**

Dionna stared at the outline of the person who had spoken to her and smiled evilly. "Oh, don't worry Cantero." she said, returning her sinister gaze to the crystal orb in her palm. "He may be sane now, but everything is still going according to plan."

Cantero said nothing, and continued to stay where he was. **"Should I go out there and do something? I am quite capable of defending myself, you know that. You gave me these powers."**

The goddess of darkness just shook her head. "The stage is not completely set for your act yet, Cantero. Be patient. I'll let you know when your time is right."

* * *

Jessica held Raphael's left hand and stared at the raven mark, tears still leaking out of her eyes. She could barely feel his pulse… "I couldn't have killed him… I just couldn't have…" she mumbled to herself multiple times, trying to shake Raphael gently to wake him up.

Kaos watched as Xion knelt down beside Jessica, the light-green aura once again surrounding both her hands. Her eyes were closed, as if she was attempting to concentrate on Raphael… After a short moment, her eyes suddenly opened as she gasped quietly and stood up.

"He's alive." she said. "I don't know how it's even possible, but he's still alive."

Jessica breathed a sigh of relief, but soon her face showed an expression of confusion. She looked at both Kaos and Xion, and asked, "Then… what did I do? If I didn't kill him, then…"

Kaos just shook his head. "I don't think any of us are sure at the moment." He then looked at where Raphael was laying on the ground. "But maybe we can find out once he wakes up…"

After a while, Jessica felt Raphael's hand slowly close around her own as he woke up, moaning slightly. Jessica's eyes widened with joy, but she was still worried. When he woke up, would he be back to normal, or would he still be insane? This question seemed to be on Kaos' mind as well, as he kept a firm grip on Antag just in case.

Raphael struggled to get up on his own, but a gentle hand kept its grip on him to help him up. He looked up and his burgundy eyes met with the yellow-grey eyes of Jessica, and he breathed a quiet sigh of relief. She was okay!

Jessica helped Raphael up to his feet, and she watched as he made his weapon disappear. She could tell that he was back to normal. It was after that that he seemed to notice Kaos and Xion.

Raphael recognized Kaos immediately, but he didn't recognize Xion at first.

"I think I've seen you before…" he said, looking at Xion with curiosity. "You're one of Jessica's friends, right? The magic wielder?" Xion simply nodded her head and introduced herself to him.

Suddenly, Xion's eyes widened as she realized something. She turned to look at Jessica, and said "You did a sanity spell! You freed him from his insanity that was controlling him earlier! How did you do it?!"

Antag seemed to be the only one who wasn't surprised at the news, and spoke to Xion. "What're you so surprised about? You're a magic wielder. Can't you do that spell too?" Xion shook her head. "Even with my own powers, I do not know how to do a sanity spell. Not all people who learn magic are able to perform it… Maybe Jessica was blessed with the ability to do it?"

Jessica merely shrugged. "Well, maybe, but I'm not sure at all what even happened at that moment." She then turned to Raphael, remembering what she wanted to ask him in the first place. "Raphael?… Is…. is it alright if you…"

"If I take you to my castle?" Raphael asked, as if reading what was on Jessica's mind. "But why?"

Jessica looked directly into Raphael's eyes, saying "I want to find out about everything that has happened lately. I thought that going to your castle would help me find stuff to help me understand everything better…" She then lowered her gaze. "But if you don't want me to go… I don't have to…"

She felt Raphael place his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll let you come along." he said with a smile that was kind, almost fatherly. He then looked at Kaos and Xion. "Your friends can come too, if they so wish." he continued. Jessica looked up at him and smiled. "Thanks." she said.

Raphael then realized what he had just said, and he crossed his arms. "Great. I'm being helped by three teenagers… This is most unamusing." he mumbled as the four of them made their way to his castle.

* * *

The four of them made it to the doorway of Raphael's castle after some time, as the time it took to get there was long. When they arrived at the door, a servant was there waiting for them.

Seeing Raphael, he gave a quick bow. "Welcome home Master Sorel." he said, respectfully. The servant then noticed the swords that Kaos and Jessica were holding, and his eyes were wide. He then turned to his master.

"Master Sorel, I'm afraid I can't let your friends pass." he said, standing in front of the doorway.

"They mean me no harm." Raphael said in reply. "Open the door for us."

"B-But they could be lying, m-my lord. T-They're armed with swords…" the servant stuttered, still blocking the entrance to the castle. Raphael was beginning to become irritated with his servant. "Christophe, please." he said, his tone becoming threatening. "Let us pass. Open the door."

"But-" Christophe began to say.

"Now!" Raphael yelled angrily. When Christophe still refused to move out of the way, Raphael gave an irritated sigh. He then placed his right hand over Jessica's eyes, and made Death's Wing appear…

* * *

"I guess the mistake of your existence has been corrected today…" Raphael mumbled after making his now blood-stained sword disappear.

He turned to look at Xion and Kaos, and said "Forgive me for making you two witness that…" Xion and Kaos said nothing, they just nodded their heads and followed Raphael inside, who was still covering Jessica's eyes while leading her inside as well.

But Jessica didn't need to ask what happened. She knew what had occurred.

Raphael had killed Christophe.

"We should split into groups. We'll cover more ground that way." Kaos said after everyone had gotten inside.

* * *

It was decided that Xion would be with Kaos, and Jessica would remain with Raphael, just in case his insanity took over him again. Xion and Kaos started up the stairs to the upstairs level, while Raphael and Jessica remained on the first floor and entered one of the hallways.

"Where do you want to start first?" Xion asked, looking around. "There are so many rooms to choose from… How do we know where to even start?"

Kaos said nothing and opened a door to peer into one of the rooms. It looked like an ordinary gothic bedroom, but something unusual caught his eye: **The bed sheets were stained with blood.**

Kaos glanced at Xion with his bright red eyes.

"Here." he said, entering the room. "We'll start in here."

* * *

Jessica kept her hand against the wall of the hallway as she walked, trying to feel for any lose material that could be hiding something. But so far, nothing came loose.

"Finding anything yet?" Raphael asked from behind her, crossing his arms. Jessica sighed as she continued looking. "Nothing yet…" she replied back.

Raphael stared at Jessica with curiosity, and continued to talk to her. "You know, you don't really need to be searching every nook and cranny of my castle. I can just tell you what happened…" Jessica just shook her head in reply. "Dionna could've hidden something while you were away that may be of importance to us, so I have to keep searching." Raphael just nodded his head understandingly, and began to search as well.

Jessica kept her hand on the wall and walked towards the end of the hallway. However she didn't watch where her hand was, and suddenly, something sharp scraped it. She jerked her hand away from the wall and shook it to try and make the stinging pain go away. Raphael suddenly noticed this and ran over to her.

"You okay?" he asked her. Jessica nodded her head and held out her left hand. The palm of her hand had been badly cut and it was bleeding. Raphael glanced at the wall, and noticed one of his swords that was hanging on the wall right next to where Jessica was. "You must've cut your hand on the blade…" he mumbled as he returned his gaze to Jessica.

The smell of her blood made his head ache. "No… Not now…" he told himself.

Thinking quickly, Raphael took his sash and wrapped it around Jessica's cut as a sort of bandage. "Better now?" he asked after he had completed this. Jessica smiled and nodded her head, saying "Thanks." Raphael glanced back at the sword on the wall. "You should be more careful. I have other swords that are also hanging on this wall."

Jessica nodded and continued to walk through the hallway, but Raphael stayed where he was and frowned. His head was still aching and the taste of Jessica's blood from earlier still lingered in his mouth… It was hard to breathe… Pain was beginning to shoot throughout his body…

No… was his insanity beginning to control him again?!

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**

**What do you think will happen? Find out in Chapter 19**

BTW I _**highly**_ recommend listening to "Ties that Bind" by Alter Bridge. The lyrics _**TOTALLY**_ fit what Raphael would say to Dionna in this story!


	19. Chapter 19: Cloaked by the Night

**Chapter 19 – Cloaked by the Night**

* * *

(Deep within Raphael's soul)

It was dark. It was cold. Empty, except for his own presence.

But not for long.

Raphael breathed quietly, as calmly as he could, while his insanity walked towards him from behind. He could almost feel his insanity's cold, menacing eyes stare at him, which caused fear to begin enveloping his mind. "Oh, why can't all this just be a bad dream?" Raphael quietly asked himself in a desperate tone.

His insanity smiled. "Don't worry, Raphael." he said in a menacing tone. "It is in fact all a bad dream, in a way…. You just can never wake up from it."

Raphael then felt his right shoulder being forcefully grabbed and pulled, causing him to be face-to-face with his insane self, who was smiling evilly. After a moment of watching fear play out on Raphael's face, his insanity spoke:

"I think you need to stop denying what you are destined to become and start following Lady Dionna's orders."

His hand then released his grasp on Raphael, and he backed away a few steps before continuing to speak. "She wants you to kill those three teens that you are with, and you know that very well. But since you ignore her orders, I'll have to step in for you."

As soon as that was said, Raphael's insanity snapped his fingers and Raphael felt the cold metal of the chains clamp around his wrists and begin to pull him down. He struggled to fight back as his insane self watched in amusement, a sinister smile spread across his face.

Suddenly, without warning, the chains broke with a loud snapping sound, allowing Raphael to get back up onto his feet. His insanity frowned, both due to anger and confusion, and snapped his fingers again. The chains clamped around Raphael's wrists again, but like the first time, broke before completely pulling Raphael to the ground. Even after three more attempts, the chains still broke before pulling Raphael down to his knees.

Raphael's insanity sighed angrily after the chains broke during the fifth attempt, and stared at Raphael with his bright red eyes. "How annoying. It seems that your rival's little sanity spell is still having its effects and hasn't worn off yet…"

Somewhere in the darkness, Dionna's voice seemed to whisper to both of them: **"Oh don't worry, that'll soon change…"**

* * *

The pain that was throbbing in Raphael's head ceased, and he was able to continue through the long hallway with Jessica. By now, Jessica had made her way to one of the long staircases that led to an even lower floor. She pointed to the steps that led downward, and asked "Did anything happen down here?"

Raphael shook his head as he caught up with her. "No, that's the castle dungeon." he said, pointing to the locked wooden door. "Nothing occurred there."

Jessica then sighed in frustration and crossed her arms, leaning against the stair railing. "I just don't get it. Why would Dionna choose someone like you to be her servant?" she asked out loud, as if expecting an answer.

"Because she knows what Sorel's really like." said a sudden, unfamiliar voice from the nearby shadows, causing Jessica and Raphael to both jump slightly in surprise. They had thought they were alone…

The voice sounded like that of a teenaged male, and it didn't sound like Kaos. It was someone whom neither of them knew, yet seemed to know them very well.

Reluctantly, Raphael summoned Death's Wing and stepped in front of Jessica before she could make a move, ready to defend her at all costs. Jessica stared at Raphael, a little bit of annoyance played across her face. "Hey, you don't have to protect me." she said, doing her best to not sound rude. "I can fend for myself." Raphael turned his head to look at her. "Last time you said that you nearly got killed. I'm not hesitating this time."

Raphael then returned his gaze back to where the voice came from. He watched as his adversary came out from the shadows, and sensed that, whoever this person was, he wanted to attack them. Unfortunately, not all of this person's features could be seen since this person had a hood on to cover his face. The mysterious adversary had on a dark blood-red jacket (with no shirt on underneath), slightly torn dark gray pants, and no shoes. The hood the person was wearing was dark black.

It was then that Raphael noticed that his adversary wasn't armed with any weapon. "You wish to attack us, yet you come without a weapon. Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Raphael asked, gripping his sword tighter and pointing the blade at his opponent. The hooded stranger seemed to smirk at Raphael's question. "Who says I don't have a weapon?" he asked, coldly.

Suddenly, without warning, he reached for the wall and swiftly grabbed one of the swords that was hanging on the wall and went into a fighting stance. He had grabbed the Reiterpallasch (one of Raphael's weapons in Soul Calibur 2 in case you didn't know).

Raphael noticed the blade, and suddenly smiled as if he were being entertained. "Trying to best me at my own dance, are we?" he asked with a slight tone of amusement. "Then let us dance."

Whoever Raphael was fighting, he was fast, dodging all of the attacks Raphael tried to throw at him. Jessica, worried that something may happen to Raphael, drew her sword and ran into the battle to help.

Jessica's sword collided with the hooded stranger's with a loud clang multiple times, but the young sword girl was pushed back by her opponent's strength every time. Clearly, fighting him blade-to-blade was going to get her nowhere. She had to fight him from a distance…

Thinking quickly, she waved her left hand in the air, causing small shards of ice to appear out of nowhere. When they were fully formed, Jessica swung her hand through the air, and the shards of ice were sent flying at the hooded stranger. Jessica's opponent noticed the shards of ice flying towards him, and gracefully swung his sword through the air, breaking each shard into even smaller pieces, which fell to the floor.

It was now Raphael's turn to continue the fight. He made Death's Wing collide with his opponent's sword, and the force pushed his opponent against the wall.

Raphael glared at his opponent's bright red eyes which glowed from underneath the hood, and gritted his teeth in frustration as he struggled to get the sword out of his enemy's hand. That's when Raphael noticed something on his opponent's hand:

Dionna's raven symbol.

"That mark… Are you one of Dionna's servants?!" Raphael said loudly, demanding an answer.

The hooded opponent laughed menacingly at Raphael's question. "Oh, I am so much more than that…" he said coldly, staring into Raphael's burgundy eyes.

Suddenly, without warning, a red light surrounded the hooded stranger's left hand, and Jessica watched in fear as their opponent slammed his hand into Raphael, right where his heart was. The red light flashed in Raphael's eyes for a split second, and he lowered his blade, allowing his enemy to no longer be pinned to the wall.

Jessica gripped her sword tightly, afraid of what had just happened to Raphael.

"… Raphael?" she asked, timidly "A-Are you alright?"

Raphael kept his back towards Jessica while he regained himself from the blow. After a short moment, he spoke in a tone he didn't use earlier:

"Oh, I'm quite fine, Jessica. Better, as a matter of fact." He then turned to look at Jessica after this was said.

Jessica gasped loudly as she backed away in fear due to what she saw. Raphael's eyes… they were bright red again.

She turned her head to stare at the hooded stranger. "W-… What have you done to him?!" she asked, demandingly.

The hooded figure seemed to smile sinisterly from underneath his hood and spoke: "Just a little… insanity spell, that's all. Oh, and don't think you're friends are coming down here to save you anytime soon. I casted a spell that prevents them from knowing what's going on down here." He then turned to look at Raphael, and continued. "Now, are you finally going to do what Dionna wants you to do?"

Raphael turned to look at the person who had made him insane, smiled evilly, and said, "…Yes. Whatever she wishes." Then using his malfested abilities, he teleported behind Jessica, a sinister smile on his face.

The last that Jessica saw of the hooded stranger was him smiling before everything faded to black…

* * *

"The bed sheets are stained with blood, the window is broken, there's the letter signed by Dionna… Wait, what's this?" Xion said as Kaos and her searched the room. The young magic wielder reached behind one of the fluffy pillows in the bedroom and closed her fingers around something small.

She pulled the object out to look at it. It looked like an accessory of sorts. It resembled a coffin with a skull and crossbones, and the pink ribbon that was on it was slightly torn.

After examining the accessory for a few minutes, Xion nodded her head and placed it down on the bed, as well as the letter from before. She then snapped her fingers, and a dagger suddenly magically appeared in her hand. Kaos watched what Xion was doing with curiosity.

Taking the dagger, Xion grabbed one of the blood-stained bed sheets and used it to cut off a piece of the bloody fabric. When this was completed, she took the small piece of fabric that she had just cut and placed it next to the other group of items.

She then turned her head to look at Kaos. "Kaos, is there a shard of glass on the floor that you could hand over to me?" Kaos wasn't sure why she was asking him this, but he was able to find a small shard of glass by the broken window. He handed it over to Xion, who placed it next to the three other items on the bed. "Okay, I'm ready." he heard her say.

Antag beat him to asking the question. "Uh… What exactly are you doing?" he asked as Xion held her right hand next to the objects. When a light green aura began to glow around her hand, she kept her gaze focused on the objects in front of her, and replied. "Getting memories. I'm trying to get a vision of what exactly happened through these objects." Xion then closed her eyes as she focused on the objects.

Soon, a very detailed scene began to play in her head…

* * *

_Amy closed the door to her bedroom and sighed. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore. Ever since father had tried to make her a new world using Soul Calibur, he has been acting different. _

"_Father…" she mumbled quietly while sitting on her freshly made bed. "I'm really worried about you… Why can't you just tell me what happened? What are you scared of? Why can't you-" The young red head suddenly stopped talking and her eyes widened. She wasn't alone. Someone was with her._

_But she didn't have her sword. She couldn't defend herself._

"_W-… Who is there? Who are you?" she asked, staring at the dark figure who was in her room. _

_Who spoke to her was a teenage male:_

"_I'm related to a friend of your father. Her and I have been watching you two for longer than you think." he said, calmly. "I must say, you're father's quite the killer, Amy."_

_Amy's eyes widened. Her loving father? A killer? "No…" Amy mumbled "No… You are lying. My father would not do such a thing."_

_She gasped as the figure suddenly disappeared from his spot and appeared right in front of her. She could only make out his glowing red eyes and sinister smile from underneath his hood. He then continued to speak to her._

"_Would not do such a thing, you say? But what about you?" he questioned, messing with her mind like it was a toy to play with. "I admire you, Amy, just like how my friend admires your father. You are like your father, but quieter. You are quite the silent killer, Amy, and I like that." _

_He then forcefully clamped his hand over her mouth to prevent her from screaming, and suddenly, Amy felt a sharp pain in her side, causing her dark blood to stain her bed sheets. She tried to scream for help, but she was prevented from doing so by her attacker. She looked into his bright red eyes and saw him smile sadistically. _

"_Aww… Look at you. You are just like a little butterfly." he said in a quiet, almost seductive, voice. "So quiet, so mysterious, so beautiful… Yet so fragile." The stranger then picked Amy up and looked into her teary, burgundy eyes._

"_You are afraid of letting your father know what you are really like…" he said "…but I can help you with that…"_

_The last thing that Amy saw before her vision blackened was the ground below her as the two of them crashed through the window…_

* * *

The vision in Xion's head ended here.

She gasped slightly as it ended and she opened her eyes quickly. Kaos stared at her without emotion, but Xion could sense that he seemed a bit worried about her. She stared back at him with a serious expression. "You won't believe what I have just seen." she said, beginning to walk towards him.

A voice from the far end of the room stopped her, and caused both of them to be startled as they looked towards the source of the voice.

It said: "Interesting…So you've found what I did to that poor girl… I guess I should eliminate you two before you decide to reveal what you've found…"

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**

**I put a poll up on my profile! Check it out if you want!**


	20. Chapter 20: Dear Agony

**Chapter 20 – Agony**

**WARNING – This chapter may contain excessive blood, violence, and/or gore compared to other chapters. Please read on with caution.**

* * *

Kaos tightened his grip on Antag as he stared at the hooded stranger. He couldn't recognize who the hooded stranger was, but he was getting the feeling that he had seen him somewhere before… But there was no time to try and recall any past fights.

The hooded stranger across from Kaos and Xion waved his left hand in the air, and out of nowhere, his weapon appeared. It resembled that of a magic staff – the pole appeared to be a chrome-purple color, and at the top of the staff was a magenta oval shaped stone. On both sides of the stone, there appeared to be gold-colored crescent moons, facing each other.

Soon after, Xion waved her hand in the air, causing an emerald green sword to appear in her right hand. She tightened her grip on her weapon and spoke to the hooded stranger:

"I'd rather that we not fight, but it looks like we don't have a choice, do we?"

The hooded stranger chuckled slightly and shook his head. "Always looking for the peaceful way out of things, aren't you Xion? You know, it really makes me sick. When are you going to accept the fact that violence and death are things you cannot prevent from occurring?" He then glanced around the room, noticing the slightly cramped condition of the bedroom. His eyes then fell on the window behind Kaos.

Kaos saw the hooded stranger smile, and suddenly vanish from his spot. Without warning, he heard the stranger's voice behind him speak. Turning around, the priest saw that the stranger was sitting on the window ledge, his legs dangling outside.

"This room is a little small. Let's open up the field of battle a bit… Shall we?" the stranger questioned before pushing himself off the ledge, causing him to drop to the ground. The sound of footsteps getting quieter outside told the two of them that he had ran off.

Kaos glanced at Antag in case he had something to say. In fact, he did.

"I say that's a fine idea." the sword said "C'mon Kaos, let's follow him!"

Reluctantly, Kaos and Xion made their way outside through the window, and followed the hooded stranger.

* * *

Jessica opened her eyes slowly as she moaned and groggily attempted to sit up, trying to make the blurry environment around her clear again. Her head dipped downward due to her sudden lack of energy, but it soon went back up; her eyes now completely open as memories of the fight from before came flooding back to her.

Jessica looked around herself in order to figure out where she was. She could see that where she was was inside a prison cell of sorts. The young sword girl tried to move one of her arms, but immediately stopped after feeling cold metal that was wrapped around both her wrists tug back. Chains. Although they were slightly rusted, they were still strong enough to hold Jessica back. The lower portion of her body wasn't chained, however, and she found that she could freely move her legs as much as her tired body would allow her.

The sudden sound of a door loudly slamming open startled Jessica and caused her to look to where the sound had come from. The slam was followed by the sound of footsteps, getting louder the closer they got to her cell.

Soon, a dark figure stopped in front of her cell door, pausing as he proceeded to open it. Jessica's eyes widened as the cell door opened and Raphael stepped into her view, his bright red eyes gleaming and his face showing a sinister smile. Her breath quickened as he made his way towards where she was chained up. Soon, though, she was able to muster up the courage to speak:

"R-Raphael! Wh-What's going on?! Wh-Why am I chained?!" she said in a frightened tone, trying her hardest to break one of the chains that held her back. Raphael only raised an eyebrow and chuckled quietly as he kneeled down near Jessica's left. "Why?" he asked her "Now Jessica, think about it: Why would you be chained?".

Jessica only stared at Raphael, too afraid of what he was going to do to her if she answered. When she didn't answer his question, Raphael frowned, sighed, and shook his head. "You're chained here because I've made you my prisoner." he said, annoyed. "Did you _really_ need my help in order to figure that out? I thought you were a smart girl, Jessica."

Silently, Raphael reached out and unclasped the button that held Jessica's gray cape together, causing it to silently slip off her shoulders and drop to the stone floor. Jessica watched as Raphael then held out his left hand, causing Death's Wing to appear. She shivered as she felt Raphael slide the cold metal of the sword's not sharp part of the blade along her neck, past her left shoulder, and finally stopping at her mid-section.

Jessica then heard Raphael sigh, and she forced her eyes to look at him instead of the wickedly sharp blade in his hand. After a moment of silence, he spoke to her.

"You know, Jessica, if you were older I would've been glad to use you in other ways to… _**entertain**_ myself right now…" He then paused, staring at the blade of his sword, which was reflecting what little moonlight was able to shine through the nearby window. "…But you're still quite young," he continued "So this will have to do."

When he had finished speaking, Raphael rotated his sword so that the sharp part of the blade was almost touching Jessica, inches from her body in fact, and suddenly brought the blade down – hard - onto her mid section, tearing the fabric of her shirt with ease. The instant the blade cut deeply into her skin Jessica's eyes widened as her body began seizing up from the sudden pain, and her blood beginning to spurt from the fresh, large wound. She gritted her teeth as she struggled to prevent herself from screaming. Where the sword had cut her hurt very badly. Her warm blood began staining her clothes and dripping onto the floor.

She then heard Raphael chuckle quietly, causing her to slowly force her eyes open just a little bit. No sooner than she had completed this, she heard Raphael speak again "I thought for sure that wound would make you scream... I guess I'll just have to work a little harder..." Raphael then forced the blade of his sword into her again; this time onto her right shoulder. Jessica's eyes shut tightly from the trauma, only this time, she was unable to hold back her cries of pain. She just couldn't help it.

The young sword girl's cries of pain echoed throughout the prison cell as Raphael continued to hack at her body with his now blood-stained blade.

* * *

Kaos and Xion followed the hooded stranger farther from Raphael's castle than they originally intended. By now the two of them had made their way to a clearing, where they finally caught up with the hooded stranger from before, who was waiting for them.

The hooded stranger smiled upon noticing Kaos and Xion approaching him. "So you two decided you would come…" he said, his voice having a slight tone of amusement as he sadistically smiled. "Good. Now we can get started."

Kaos gripped Antag tightly and got into a fight stance; his red eyes, which shone from underneath his hood, narrowing in concentration. "Your move." he said, casually.

Antag rolled his eye after Kaos spoke. "'Your move?' Kaos, that's lame! You're just letting the opponent attack you. Why can't you just charge straight at the enemy and cut him into pieces?" Slightly annoyed, Kaos raised an eyebrow as he averted his eyes from his adversary and looked back at his weapon. "When has that ever worked?" the priest questioned. Antag remained silent for a moment before coming up with his answer: "Uh….always?"

Kaos quickly focused his attention back to the fight at hand as the hooded stranger suddenly charged right at him, his staff reflecting the bright moonlight. The young priest braced himself for a magic blast, but was caught off guard for a moment when his opponent unexpectedly thrusted his staff at him, almost like it was a spear of sorts. Kaos narrowly missed being struck by the staff as he turned his body to dodge the attack.

The hooded attacker diagonally swung his staff at Kaos, attempting to strike him again, but to no avail. The priest had blocked the attack with his sword. Out of the corner of his eyes, Kaos saw Xion run at their opponent as he tried his hardest to get the staff out of the enemy's hands. He then saw the two crescent moons at the top of the staff, and noticed that they were wickedly sharp. _I guess the moons aren't just there for decoration… they must act like the blades of a halberd_, he thought to himself as he deflected yet another swing of the enemy's staff.

Kaos then noticed the enemy's apparel: a blood red jacket, torn gray pants, and no shoes. It was definitely strange to him. He kept getting that nagging feeling that he knew this person from somewhere before… His eyes then noticed that the enemy had Dionna's raven symbol on him. Was this guy one of her servants? No… he could usually sense whether a person was her servant or not – their soul would usually have a mix of both good and evil. This person, however, had a soul that was pure evil.

Suddenly, Xion rammed herself into the hooded stranger, causing him to get knocked off his feet and land on the ground, hard. He had dropped his staff, and was reaching for it with difficulty before Xion suddenly stepped in front of him, her magic emerald sword glowing. Her face showed a mix of courage and pity. She then raised her sword, holding it above her, with the blade pointing downward at their enemy. "I'm sorry," she said, quietly "but you won't be spared. You are far too evil."

As Xion plunged her sword at the enemy, he rolled to his side to avoid the blade. However, while he did escape from being killed, the fabric of his hood got caught as the sword's blade plunged into the ground, causing the hood's fabric to rip badly as the enemy grabbed his staff. There would be no use for wearing the hood now. He couldn't hide his identity with it so badly torn.

The adversary scowled as his hand reached for the remaining, torn fabric that hung in front of his face. After he pulled it off and tossed the torn fabric to the ground, he then smiled. "Did you think you could kill me that easily?" he said mockingly to Xion, as the rest of his appearance was revealed to them.

If Dionna looked like a nineteen year old male instead of a thirty year old female, this is what their opponent looked like. He shared her raven-black hair, which only went past his ears, with the one magenta streak in his bangs, as well as her bright red eyes.

Kaos narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?!" the young priest demanded. "Do you work for Dionna?" The adversary smirked at the question. "Work _for_?" he replied, jeering. "Pfft. Please. My name is Cantero. I am not one of Dionna's pathetic servants who tremble in fear at her power. No… I work _beside _her. We work together. We're very close partners in crime, you could say." When he had finished speaking, Cantero glanced at Xion, then back at Kaos. "Now… Where were we?" he said, icily.

Suddenly, Cantero smiled evilly, and in a flash kicked Xion in the stomach, causing her to drop her magic sword, which faded away to nothing due to her no longer using it. Dashing forward, he took his staff and made a wide slash with the bladed part, causing Xion to fall to the ground as she clutched where the moon "blades" made contact with her, blood spurting from the wound.

Kaos' eyes widened as he watched Xion fall to the ground, but he quickly regained a calm, serious expression as he turned around to find Cantero behind him some distance away. Whoever Cantero was, he was fast. The young priest braced himself for another swing from Cantero's staff, but something bothered him. _It's still a magic staff_, he thought. _Why hasn't he casted any spells yet? Is he holding back?_ When Cantero's staff once again collided with his sword, Kaos shoved Cantero back with his strength, causing him to fall to the ground.

After a moment, Antag spoke up. "What's wrong?" he taunted "No magic spells? Afraid we're strong enough to cut through them?" Kaos said nothing to his weapon about the cocky remark he had just made. Sure, Antag was a powerful sword, capable of cutting through some magic blasts, and Kaos himself was strong, but this was an unfamiliar opponent they were dealing with. Now was not the time to be cocky.

Cantero seemed ticked off by Antag's taunt, as he was suddenly now angry. "Shut up you worthless piece of metal!" he yelled at Antag as he stood up. "You have no idea just who you are dealing with, do you?!"

With those words, Cantero began spinning his staff in a circular motion, causing a large, blue circle of light to form where he was standing. When the circle finished forming, bright blue jagged, zigzag lines began flashing around him, along with the unmistakable sound of thunder, as Cantero continued spinning his staff. Kaos immediately recognized the type of magic that Cantero was using – lightning magic. He narrowed his eyes in concentration as he watched Cantero's every move, prepared to dodge or cut through the magic spell if necessary.

This went on for just a short moment until Cantero stopped spinning his staff and pointed the part with the magenta stone out in front of him, sending a bolt of lightning out at his opponents. Kaos started to raise Antag for just a split second in order to attempt to cut the bolt, but he stopped as soon as he started, his eyes widening as he realized something. The lightning bolt shot past him completely.

The attack wasn't meant for him, it was meant for Xion!

Kaos had only just met Xion, but…something… a feeling, perhaps, caused him to feel like he must protect her. In his shock, Kaos dropped Antag and rushed towards Xion, trying to race against the lightning bolt to reach her in time. He ran until he was in front of Xion, launching himself directly in the lightning bolt's path, blocking it from its intended target.

Then the bolt struck him, the electricity entering his body with a jolt.

The pain… it was unbearable. It was a burning... no, _searing_ pain across his chest. Kaos gritted his teeth to prevent himself from screaming, but a small cry of agony forced its way out of his throat as he collapsed to the ground and the lightning bolt disappeared. He attempted to get up, but instantly clutched the spot where the bolt impacted him and moaned, falling back to the ground. The pain was too much and it hurt to breathe.

Kaos heard his name being called, and he opened his eyes just a bit to see Xion rush towards him, an expression of worry showing on her face. She collapsed right next to him, then gently held his hand, ensuring that he was still alive. The young magic wielder then looked to where Cantero was watching them, and she raised her voice, which had a tone that was a mixture of fear and anger. "Wh- What did you do to him?!" she yelled.

Cantero merely smirked at the question. "What did _I_ do? Oh please, _you_ were the one who didn't attempt to prevent him from getting hit." He then turned and began to walk away from them, but soon stopped and continued, shaking his head. "You should be ashamed of yourself Xion. First you allow the priest boy to get severely injured, and now, as of this very moment, you are doing nothing to free your poor friend Jessica from all the pain and agony she is currently in back at Raphael's castle. If I were either of them, I would be ashamed to have someone like you for a friend." When he had finished speaking, Cantero walked away into the shadows, and disappeared.

Xion's eyes began to tear up. "No… Jess…" she whispered, staring at Raphael's castle which, at this distance, was no bigger than the full moon which was shining in the sky.

* * *

Back in her prison cell, Jessica was still undergoing her unbearable torment. By now, she had received multiple cuts and deep gashes on multiple parts of her body: her arms, her shoulders, her mid-section, her legs, and her face. She wanted to cry out with every new wound Raphael gave her with his sword, but she had grown too tired to fight back, and her throat was too sore to scream anymore. She had given up trying to fight him.

Raphael once again taunted Jessica about her current state. "What's wrong, Jessica?" he questioned, placing a hand under her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. "You can feel it, can't you? The pain that has spread all over your body, making your fear of death greater with every cut, gash, and slice I get on you." He smirked, seeing the pained expression on her face, his insane red eyes showing excitement. "You know…" he said, leaning in close. "the smell of your blood, that pained look on your face, and your cries of agony really do it for me."

Raphael then frowned. "You're being awfully quiet, Jessica," he said, picking up Death's Wing once more. "Perhaps I should make sure that your voice still works…" He placed the blade of his sword on her right arm, and was just about to make an incision when he abruptly stopped, slowly placing a hand on his head.

He had heard Dionna's voice speak to him in his head.

"…M-My lady?" Raphael whispered, quietly, responding back. "Sorel," Dionna said "Leave her alone for a little bit."

Raphael was taken aback by what she said. Dionna wanted him to… hold back? He was just about to ask why, but the goddess of darkness wasn't finished speaking. "Wait and leave for a little while, then come back and resume. She'll think you're completely done torturing her, when in reality you'll return to deliver more punishment to her. By then she should be rested enough to scream more."

Raphael nodded his head and smiled sinisterly. "As you wish." he said, whispering.

Jessica turned her head to look away from Raphael, fearing another blow. But none came. She cautiously opened her eyes to see Raphael leaving her cell, ensuring that the door was locked. After completely locking the cell door, his cold gaze met hers. Raphael then sighed "Well, Jessica," he said, feigning contentment "that'll be all. It's been fun." He then turned around and began to slowly walk away, but soon stopped, chuckling.

"Well… maybe a bit more fun for me that you…" he added. After a moment of silence, he spoke once more: "You can try and hope that someone will come to save you, Jessica, but it's futile. Hope only brings disappointment, you know." With those words, he left the room.

Jessica let Raphael's words sink in. Was he right? Would no one come to save her at all? She was beginning to lose all hope that Raphael could even be saved. Had she let her own naiveness get the better of her, thinking that she, a mere fifteen year old girl, could fight the power of a goddess?

"**Jessica... What have I told you about doubting yourself?"** a different familiar voice spoke from somewhere in the room, followed by an apparition coming closer to her. The apparition wore light blue apparel that resembled a shirt and skirt of similar colors, gray heeled boots with a snowflake design on them, silver eyes, and short, black hair.

Jessica stared at the apparition in disbelief and awe, her eyes widening at the sight. There was no doubt who it was.

"… M-Mother?" Jessica asked, quietly.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**

**I hope that this chapter was worth the wait. :)**

**Reviews extremely appreciated!**


	21. Chapter 21: Just Let Go of Me

Raphael cried out in pain as the pain in his head started again, causing him to collapse next to the bed in his room. His hands clumsily reached out and grabbed the dark satin bed sheets, gripping them tightly as his breath remained ragged. He gritted his teeth as the pain continued and sweat dripped from his forehead. He had to get these lustful thoughts out of his head. He had to stop hurting Jessica.

He had to regain control.

"Breathe. J-Just... breathe." Raphael told himself desperately. "Keep...in...control...".

After a moment, the throbbing in his head seemed to slowly go away. Raphael contently sighed and smiled, getting up off the floor. Finally, after numerous attempts, he had won.

But it was a short-lived victory.

Immediately, the pain in Raphael's head reignited itself, causing him to cry out and fall back down to the floor as his hands flew to his head, grabbing his hair tightly. Once more, he began to hear a voice.

His voice.

_"Don't deny it"_ it said, coldly trying to persuade him.

"S-Stop it..." Raphael pleaded, shutting his eyes as tightly as possible in an attempt to find some freedom from the pain and the voice in his head.

_"Every single moment you want to see Jessica rive in agony. You enjoy it. You long to see her covered in blood."_

"I-I...don't..."

_"Why not? She's been your enemy for more than a year now. Why have you all of a sudden started showing this... weakness of yours toward her? Why all of a sudden do you feel attached to her?"_

Raphael's eyes opened a bit. The voice _did_ have a point. These protective feelings he had been having toward Jessica recently had come without warning ever since Amy had left him. Was it because he felt sorry for Jessica due to her troubling past? The fact that she wanted to help him?

_"Face it, Raphael."_ the voice said, breaking the sudden silence._**"You're replacing Amy."**_

Raphael's eyes widened with shock. Replacing...Amy?

"Liar..." he whispered. The voice in his head seamed to chuckle, amused.

_"You're just lying to yourself, Raphael. I'm you, so I know what you truly feel inside. You never loved Amy."_

"Shut up..." Raphael mumbled, tears beginning to leak from his eyes.

_"You never loved her. You were using her. Deceiving her. You let Dionna take her. And now you've let this other peasant girl into your life and you're caring more for her than you ever did for Amy. All you ever wanted to do to Amy was keep her locked up in your home."_

"I said shut- a-aaugh!"

Raphael's plea was abruptly cut off by the pain in his head increasing dramatically, causing him to scream and throw his head back before collapsing completely onto the bed. The voice still continued:

_"Now Jessica is locked up and you have the perfect chance to get rid of her forever. So stop denying what you want to do and make her scream more. It's what Dionna has wanted you to do, and it's what you want to do as well."_

"No! Ferme ta gueule!" Raphael yelled angrily, attempting to stand. He waited for an answer to his outburst.

But the voice in his head had stopped talking.

Raphael sighed as he stood up, leaning against the bed post for support. He was feeling regret for what he had done to Jessica in the cell. He hung his head in shame as he tried to catch his breath.

"I need to stop this." he said quietly to himself. "I need to free Jessica and-augh!" Once more the pain in his head reignited as soon as soon as it had left him. His hands pulled at his hair and he fell back down to the floor due to the pain. Why wouldn't it end?! Why couldn't the insane part of him just leave him alone?!

"Incredible." Cantero's voice sounded from somewhere in the room. "You've still managed to have a conscious after all this time..."

Raphael looked up and saw Cantero across from him on the other side of the bed, leaning against the wall. At the sight of him, Raphael gritted his teeth in anger. "What do you want?!" he hissed.

Cantero smiled and chuckled slightly. "Me? Nothing, really. I'm just here to help you."

Raphael's eyes narrowed with suspicion. Help him? Yeah right. "Why couldn't Dionna come herself?" he asked, dully. Cantero soon stopped leaning against the wall and began walking toward him. Raphael wanted to get away from him, but his body wouldn't move.

"Oh, she's currently occupied with other things right now." Cantero answered. "Things involving... _your daughter_. Amy, is it?"

Raphael's eyes widened at the mention of Amy's name.

"Amy was quite the fighter, you know. She wouldn't stop struggling as I carried her away, so I did the only thing I could to make her obedient."Cantero smiled as he noticed Raphael's panic-stricken face. "Oh, don't worry. She's alive. Just unconscious."

Raphael clenched his hands into fists. "I want her back." he said, demandingly. "_Now_."

"And you shall." Cantero replied, "**_If _**you kill Jessica."

* * *

"A-...Am I ...dead?" Jessica whispered as the apparition of her mother came closer. She watched as her mother shook her head.

"No, not yet. You're not dead." she answered, kneeling down beside her chained daughter.

Jessica lowered her gaze as her mother placed a delicate hand on her cheek, a saddened, pained look showing on her bloody face. "Why can't I be dead?" she mumbled. "Why can't this life of mine just end? I'm not even useful to anyone."

"_Jessica._" her mother said in a stern tone of voice. "Don't talk like that. You _are_ useful."

"No I'm not!" Jessica replied. "If I was useful, then all of the people that I'd loved would still be alive!" Memories soon began flooding the young girl's mind, causing tears to steadily leak from her eyes, agitating instead of healing the wounds on her face. After a moment of crying, Jess continued. "I-... I couldn't save you, I couldn't save my f-friends, a-and I couldn't even s-save..." The tears were falling faster now.

"... m-my boyfriend..." she sobbed.

Jessica painfully pulled her legs toward her body and carefully wrapped her blood-stained arms around them, burying her face in her arms as she continued sobbing.

"What makes you think I'm useful?" she asked her mother after lifting her head. "You always told me that I was useful and that things would get better. And they haven't! I'm still as weak as I was before. I still can't witness the death of someone without bursting into tears. I'm still not the brave girl you've wanted me to be. I'm just a disappointment to you!"

Jessica then sighed, calming down. "Sorry, mother." she said, apologetically. "It's just that, with all I've been through since you died..."

"I know." her mother said, a caring gaze embedded in her silver eyes. "I know it's been difficult for you. You're still young, after all." She then smiled. "But even with all that's happened to you, you're still fighting because you want to make me proud, right?"

Jessica nodded her head in response, but only slightly due to the pain.

"And because you're still fighting, that means you haven't given up, and because of that you _have_ made me proud." her mother said, giving Jessica a light kiss on her forehead.

Jessica smiled as she heard those words. Her mother _was_ proud of her. She didn't need to feel ashamed about her life.

"And, to answer your question..." her mother continued, "I believe you are useful because I know that you are tasked with a great burden to protect someone."

"Protect someone?" Jessica asked, confused. "W-Who? And how do I protect him or her?" Her mother stood up, then spoke.

"Your rival, Raphael." she said. "You are the one who is destined to help him fight his lust and ultimately free him from Dionna's grasp."

Jessica's eyes widened as she saw the apparition of her mother begin to walk backwards away from her, fading away more and more the farther they were from each other.

"Use the spell, Jessica" her mother said. "And use it well. You will get your wings again, believe me."

"Mother, wait!" she yelled, desperately extending her arm as far as the chain would allow her. "W-What do you mean?!" Her mother didn't respond, and was almost completely gone from Jessica's sight.

"Mother, please!" Jessica cried.

But the apparition was now completely gone.

"Don't...go..." she said, tears beginning to fall. She was alone, again.

"Your mother isn't here, Jessica." said a cold voice. "She never was. You told me she has been dead for almost six years now."

Jessica's eyes widened as she watched Raphael reappear in front of her cell door, his insane scarlet eyes shining. He continued talking after she noticed him. "Poor you. You must be so eager to die that you're calling for her so that you two can be reunited once again." Raplael then chuckled quietly as he unlocked the door and entered the cell, placing something down on the floor.

"Well, I can help with that." he said, smiling sadistically. "I just need to finish what I started earlier."

Raphael walked over to Jessica and knelt down beside her on her right, his eyes admiring his earlier work. He then noticed the small scar on Jessica's neck: the scar she had gotten after he had bitten her neck the very first time in his life. Raphael smiled. "Speaking of which," he said, using one finger to adjust the position of Jessica's amulet "Kaos never let me finish my meal, now did he?"

Without warning, he wrapped one arm around her and his fangs slowly punctured her neck, causing Jessica to tug against the chains as she tried to escape. But with the chains holding her back, as well as Raphael's tight grasp on her, it was futile. He continued to drink her blood hungrily, seemingly without end, making sure he didn't miss a single drop.

Just when it seemed like he would never stop, Raphael lifted his head and smiled contently as blood dripped from the corners of his mouth. "It's so sweet..." he whispered, quietly but loud enough for Jessica to hear. He then frowned after thinking for a moment.

"Which is strange, considering you're such a..." he spat the next word out like it was poison. "...**_purehearted_** girl."

Raphael then wiped his mouth with his sleeve and smiled as he reached over and picked up the object that he had placed on the floor earlier. Jessica could see that it appeared to be a bottle or jar of some sort. It was dark colored, so she couldn't see what was inside it.

"Water heals you, correct?" Raphael asked, still smiling. Jessica nodded her head weakly in reply.

"Good." he replied. "Well Jessica, it just so happens that I have some water right here for you. You should be thanking me right now." Without waiting for a reply, Raphael took the bottle and dumped the liquid onto Jessica. Immediately, she shrieked repeatedly and as the water came into contact with her wounds.

Only cold fresh water healed her wounds. This water wasn't cold, like it should have been.

It was **scalding hot, **burning her.

Even worse, there was salt mixed in with it, causing the wounds all over her body to sting excruciatingly. She squirmed and pulled against the chains as she continued to scream, only to tire herself out and eventually cause her to stop. Her head dipped downward and her shallow breath was ragged as she tried to recover from shock and exhaustion.

Raphael laughed, amused. "Now _that's_ more like it." he said, smiling. He then looked at the bottle he was holding. "Cantero was right. This would help me." he continued.

He then returned his gaze to Jessica's pain stricken face. "It's so interesting, isn't it?" he asked her. "As long as you have that amulet of yours on you, you won't bleed to death. Your blood will just keep on replenishing itself."

Raphael then frowned, noticing the water seeping into Jessica's wounds. He placed the bottle down and made his way over to Jessica's left. "Hmm, I hope I didn't ruin the taste." he said, once more adjusting the position of Jessica's amulet. "That would be ever so tragic, to ruin such perfectly good blood, wouldn't it?" He then leaned forward and let his fangs puncture the other side of her neck, drinking more of her blood. Slowly at first, then greedily.

After a quiet moment, Jessica finally found the strength to speak.

"M-...Mon-...Monst..." She struggled to get the word to escape from her lips, and it came out stuttered and quiet.

Raphael stopped and lifted his head to look down at her. "What's that, Jessica?" he asked, curiously. "Speak up please. It's impolite to whisper in front of people."

_**"...M-...Monster..."**_

Raphael's eyes widened with shock as the word escaped Jessica's mouth. "Don't call me that..." he whispered, pleadingly. Jessica looked up and saw that his eyes had suddenly switched back to burgundy. Her eyes now began to show worry instead of hatred.

"R-Raph...?" she asked, calling out to him quietly.

"Don't call me that!" he yelled angrily as his eyes suddenly switched back to bright scarlet. He furiously slapped Jessica's face with the back of his hand, causing her to cringe from pain.

A sympathetic look began to show on Jessica's face as she realized what was going on. _Raphael was struggling._

Anger continued to show on Raphael's face. "D-Don't look at me like that!" he hissed, covering his eyes. "I hate the pity in your eyes!" He then gritted his teeth as he lowered his hand and forced himself to look at her.

Suddenly, he screamed in pain and his hands flew to his head, pulling at his hair.

Jessica's eyes widened. "Raph!" she cried out to him "Fight it!"

Raphael forced himself to sit against the wall, his left hand over where his heart was, grabbing the fabric of his suit tightly. He was gasping for breath, and a pained moan escaped from his mouth as he kept his eyes shut.

"Fight it!" Jessica repeated, desperately trying to get herself closer to him.

Raphael opened his eyes a bit, and he looked at Jessica with a pained expression. His burgundy eyes showed hurt and desperation as he reached forward with his right hand and held Jessica's left hand tightly.

"I-... I'm sorry..." he whispered to her. "I-I can't..." He then abruptly released his grasp on her and screamed in pain once more.

Tears began to leak from Jessica's eyes. She didn't want to see Raphael like this, whether he was her rival or not.

Suddenly, Raphael stopped screaming and got up, grabbing Jessica's right wrist in one hand and a key in the other. Much to Jessica's dismay, his eyes were still scarlet.

"Sorry, Jessica." he said, smiling as he unlocked the chain that held Jessica's right arm back. "I can't stop now, not when there's a whole part of you still _undamaged_."

Suddenly, Jessica found herself facing the wall as Raphael tightly held her right wrist and flipped her over. She heard the sound of a sword swinging through air, and soon after the tearing of fabric as her back became exposed to Raphael. Completely untouched.

By _him_, at least.

"Now what have we here?" Raphael asked, tracing two long identical scars on Jessica's back. He then chuckled slightly as he noticed something about the scars. "Jessica, are these self-inflicted?"

Jessica lowered her head, causing her forehead to rest against the cold stone wall. "Y-yes..." she answered, tears beginning to fall from her eyes as she remembered why she had given herself those scars. It had happened only a year ago...

Raphael seemed interested. "Care to explain?" he asked. Jessica hesitated for a moment before speaking up.

"I... I know this sounds hard to believe, but..." she sighed, recalling her past hesitatingly "I used to have... wings."

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**

**Hello everyone! So sorry everything is taking so long to update, but I have my reasons:**

**1: I'm in highschool now with three honors classes so I have a ton of homework and almost no free time what-so-ever. **

**2: Family events are taking away time for free time and homework**

**3: I have an INSANE issue with dealing with writers block.**

**Also, I'm trying to make some progress on the one-chapter prequel to this story "Kid Icarus: Downfall" (Kid Icarus and Soul Calibur crossover). This chapter, as well as multiple chapters after (mostly Chapter 22) make refrences to this one, which will become clearer once I put it up.**

**As always, reviews are extremely appreciated. Keep an eye out for Chapter 22 and Kid Icarus Downfall!**

** \- jbanime36**


	22. Chapter 22: Savior

"Wings?" Raphael asked, his voice containing a mixture of both disbelief and awe. "You mean, like a bird's?"

"**Angel** wings, actually." Jessica answered. "They were given to me by the goddess of light five years ago after she realized how strong of a bond I had made with an angel who served her." She then paused, thinking for a moment. "Well, more specifically, he was the captain of her guard. And, more importantly, he was my boyfriend."

Jessica smiled, recalling the happy moments she and her boyfriend had had together.

Raphael listened to Jessica intently. "What was his name?" Immediately, Jessica's smile faded as she closed her eyes and sighed.

"I-... I'd rather not say it..." she said. "I-...I always cry when I do." Raphael remained quiet for a moment before asking another question.

"Could you fly?" he asked. "I loved flying, actually." Jessica said in reply.

She slowly lifted her head to look out the window above her. "It's incredible to be that high up, to see the world from a whole new perspective. And to feel the breeze in your face, the whole feeling is just exhilarating." She then noticed the cloud drifting past the moon and giggled slightly, remembering something.

"I remember once I became so tired that I ended up sleeping on a cloud." she said, beaming with happiness with the memory in her head. "It's kind of like being on top of a gigantic pillow."

Raphael laughed with Jessica for a moment, then stopped. "So what happened?" he asked, tracing one of the scars with one finger.

Jessica's happiness disappeared as soon as the question was asked. She sighed. "It's all Dionna's fault." she said "She was the one who invaded the Sky Kingdom with her Underworld army." Jessica paused for a moment, recollecting her thoughts before continuing.

"My boyfriend and I, as well as the goddess' soldiers and other servants did our best to stop them but..."

"...But what?" Raphael asked, patiently yet eagerly waiting to her more. A tear leaked from Jessica's left eye.

"But Dionna and her army killed everyone, including the goddess of light." Jessica said. She then sighed. "I'm... the last and only surviving servant of the goddess of light."

Raphael's scarlet eyes glanced at Dionna's raven mark on his left hand, then back at Jessica. If Jess was the servant of a goddess, then did she have a mark on her hand too?

"What about your boyfriend?" he asked "Did _he_ make it?"

"My boyfriend caught up to me in the middle of the battle and we both tried to run away, but a gigantic blast of dark magic separated us and knocked me off my feet. I would've hit the ground and severely hurt myself if he hadn't caught me." She stopped talking once more, a few more tears leaked from her eyes.

"I-... I thought he was going to pull me back up, but..." Jessica took a deep yet shaky breath. "... but he didn't. His last words to me were 'Jess... I'm sorry'. And then..."

Jessica squeezed her eyes shut, tears falling faster. "Then he let go of my hand, a-and as I fell-" a small sob escaped Jessica's mouth, interrupting her story.

"And as I fell, Dionna stabbed him through the heart!"

Jessica couldn't hold back her tears any longer, and soon she began sobbing quietly.

Raphael chuckled quietly, seeing Jessica cry. "Keep crying. Your own tears won't heal you." he mumbled quietly. He waited for a moment before speaking up. "Did you fly back up to try and get revenge?" he asked.

"...No." Jessica replied. "I was fatally wounded and too grief stricken to fight anymore. I ran back home. Dionna had accomplished what she had wanted to, anyway."

"What about your wings?" Raphael asked. "Where are they now?" **_Quietly as possible, he picked up Death's Wing._**

Jessica stopped crying to catch her breath. "Wh-When I got home I..." she sighed "I-I took my sword and said 'M-may I never take to the skies again.'" Raphael nodded his head, listening.

"Then what?" he asked, **_placing the sword's blade over one of the scars._**

Jessica remained quiet for a moment. "Th-then I... I cut them off." she said, finishing the story. Raphael pressed his lips into a thin line and raised his eyebrows.

"Oh my, it must have been excruciating." he said. "...Is that the right word to describe how it felt?" Jessica slowly nodded her head in agreement.

Raphael chuckled slightly in response, then spoke. "I see. Then it most likely felt like..." Without warning, the blade was brought down onto the left scar, reopening the old wound so that blood gushed out. "...this." Raphael concluded.

Jessica screamed and pulled on the chain that held her left arm back, as well as trying to fight Raphael's tight grip on her right arm. Raphael gritted his teeth as he struggled to maintain his grip on her while trying to aim the blade of his sword at the second scar. "You're irritating me. Stop moving Jessica!" he commanded. "Stop moving or I'll miss!"

Jessica gritted her teeth as she fought back. "I am not... here to be something for... your amusement!" she shouted. Abruptly, Jessica forcefully wrenched her right arm from Raphael's firm hold, causing him to stumble backwards. With her right arm free, Jessica immediately lunged at Raphael, the light blue aura appearing on her hand.

"I'm here to save you!" she yelled.

She aimed her arm at Raphael's heart to perform the sanity spell, but his stumbling caused her to be off her mark. Instead of her hand coming into contact with his heart, her fingertips just lightly grazed his forehead.

Still, something happened.

Immediately, Jessica's head began to ache and her ears began ringing as a blinding light obscured her vision. She shut her eyes tightly to avoid being blinded by the light and also to do her best and ignore the pain. However, as soon as it had started, the pain had left and her ears ceased ringing.

But when she opened her eyes, everything was different.

Jessica looked around her. Everything was pitch black. She could, however, see a few feet in front of her. She looked down at the rest of herself and saw that, by unexplained circumstance, her ruined outfit was back together, undamaged. Her gray cape and her sword were back on her as if nothing had happened. Jessica's fingers went to both sides of her neck. No blood was dripping from where Raphael had bitten her. In fact, no wounds were on her at all.

"Where... am I?" she asked herself quietly, looking around her. Was she alone? "H-Hello?" she cried, calling out into the darkness.

"...Jess?"

Jessica's eyes widened. It was Raphael's voice, sounding like it was coming from behind her a small distance away. She turned and was confronted with Raphael, who was chained to the floor.

Jessica gasped. "Oh gods above!" she cried, running over to Raphael. "Raph, what happened? What's going on?" she asked, kneeling down in front of him.

Raphael glanced at Jessica with a sympathetic look as he watched her tug at one of the chains that were holding him, remembering the look of pity she had always given him. He sighed.

"I don't know how you got here, but you shouldn't be here, of all places." he said. Jessica stopped pulling at the chains to look at him.

"Why? I'm supposed to be helping you, not sitting back idly watching you suffer." she asked, a mixture of confusion and anger in her voice as she began pulling the chains once again.

Raphael looked at Jessica worriedly. She didn't know about... _him. _

He placed his left hand on Jessica's hands to stop her and get her attention. He opened his mouth to speak, but a different voice spoke up from the darkness before he could:

**"Because of _me_, foolish girl."**

Raphael watched as his insane self stepped out from the shadows, scowling at Jessica.

"You really have no manners, do you, barging in here like the plebeian you are." the insane Raphael said to Jessica, stepping a bit closer.

Jessica looked at both versions of Raphael, bewildered. "Wh-what's going on?" she asked, looking to the chained burgundy-eyed version of Raphael for an answer. "Who is that?"

Raphael's eyes narrowed as he looked at the insane, scarlet eyed version of himself.

"He's the one who's been hurting you." he replied. "And keeping me chained here."

Jessica's eyes widened. _That's_ why Raphael was struggling! He was trying to fight this other version of himself deep in his soul! She narrowed her eyes and reached for her sword, pulling it out of its sheath and pointing it at the scarlet-eyed Raphael.

Raphael's insane self noticed the sword and laughed. "How hilarious. You really are stupid." he said to Jessica. "You do realize that, with as weak and damaged as your body is now, one fatal stab to you here would cause your _**immediate death**_? While you are here your mother's amulet is nothing more than a mere _**trinket**_. It heals your _**body**_, not your _**soul**_."

Jessica's eyes widened. "M-my... soul?" she mumbled, questioning what she had just been told.

Suddenly, realization filled her mind as she recalled what had happened in the cell with the sanity spell. She hadn't hit his heart, so instead of making him sane she had **transferred her own soul over to his...**

**...to save him.**

Jessica gritted her teeth and tightened her grip on her sword. She then mustered up all her courage to speak. "I don't care." she said. "I'm supposed to save him from you, and I'm going to do it even if it means I have to die for him." Burgundy-eyed Raphael's eyes widened at Jessica's sudden change in persona. She had never been _this_ brave around him, even when the two of them were enemies!

Scarlet-eyed Raphael only raised an eyebrow and summoned his blade. "If you're eager to die, _then so be it_." he said.

Jessica charged directly at her adversary, eyes showing concentration as she gripped her sword tightly. Pretty soon, she got close enough to the scarlet-eyed Raphael and swung, only to have the attack blocked. Immediately, she swung again in a different direction, but it was blocked again. She then backed up a few steps, keeping her eyes focused on her opponent as she tried to catch her breath.

The alternate version of Raph began mimicking her movements. If Jessica took a step right, he did too. If Jessica stepped backward, so did he. If she made an unpredictable diagonal step, he followed. If Jessica swung at him with her sword, he did as well with ease as if the whole fight was a dance.

This went on for awhile until Jessica gripped her sword in both hands and suddenly lunged forward with her blade facing her opponent. He only sidestepped to avoid the attack, and immediately swung Death's Wing in a horizontal motion. Jessica leaned back as far as she could to prevent the sword from damaging her face. It swung over her with the blade just inches from her nose. When she had returned to her original standing position, scarlet-eyed Raphael spoke:

"You are so predictable, Jessica." he said "Honestly, this is a waste of time." He then smiled sinisterly. "Give up. You know you can't save him. You're too weak."

Jessica gritted her teeth and angrily responded with another swing of her blade, but this time it was clumsy and the impact with Raphael's blade caused it to fly out of her hands and hit the ground.

Now unarmed, she was becoming afraid as scarlet-eyed Raphael came closer to her, smiling.

She wasn't moving.

Burgundy-eyed Raphael noticed this and stood up as much as he could, even with the chains holding him back. "Jess! Snap out of it!" he yelled desperately.

_**Too late.**_

Raphael watched as his insane self kicked Jessica hard near her face, causing her to stumble backwards. The scarlet-eyed version for himself then bowed, as if Jessica was his dance partner. Immediately, Death's Wing began glow with a red-violet hue around it, some rose petals beginning to swirl around the blade.

Scarlet-eyed Raphael then spun around three times, slicing the blade through the air and sending rose petals flying every time. After the third spin, he said "The finale...", and prepared his sword to strike. Without hesitation, he thrust the blade forward. "Pure Sacrifice!" he yelled triumphantly.

Burgundy-eyed Raphael watched in horror as the blade of the sword entered Jessica, impaling her right where her heart was.

Raphael collapsed onto the floor and tugged at the chains. "This can't be real..." he told himself "It- It just can't!" He then forced himself to look at Jessica. She was looking back at him with a pained, innocent look that could've made him cry. His eyes began to tear up as his insane self took the blade of his sword out of Jessica and let her body drop to the ground.

Raphael and his insane self looked at each other in the eyes. His chained hands clenched into fists as his face showed a mixture of despair and anger.

"How dare you!" he yelled, furiously. "How dare you kill her!"

His insane self only smirked and turned around.

"I tried to tell her she wouldn't win, but she was just being stubborn." scarlet-eyed Raphael said, beginning to walk away. "It's not my fault she got killed. She got herself into this mess." Raphael's insane self then stopped walking away and turned around, facing Raphael while continuing to talk. "Besides, you wanted her dead, right? You should be-" his speech was abruptly halted when he suddenly noticed something. Soon after, Raphael noticed it too. Both pairs of eyes widened at the sight.

**_Jessica was standing up._**

"I-...Impossible!" scarlet-eyed Raphael yelled. "You should be dead! I killed you myself!"

Jessica said nothing. She only kept her eyes closed and silently walked forward as if she were a puppet on invisible strings. She walked until she was directly in between the two versions of Raphael. Jessica then opened her mouth to speak, but this time it sounded different.

Someone else, most likely an adult woman, spoke in unison with Jessica's own voice, and now it had a slight, mysterious echo to it.

_**"Tell me something, Raphael..."**_ Jessica said, finally breaking the silence with her echoing voice in unison with the woman's voice.

She then opened her eyes. They had changed too. Her eyes were now devoid of the previous yellow-gray color they once possessed. Now, all that could be seen from her eyes was a solid bright light blue.

_**"...Why would you kill your guardian angel?"**_

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**

**This chapter was SO hard to write, but I hope you all enjoyed it! :)**

**Reviews extremely appreciated!**


	23. Chapter 23: Forgiven

_**"...Why would you kill your guardian angel?"**_

The air hung with a sudden silence for a full minute after the words left Jessica's lips, with both versions of Raphael equally shocked at what they had just been asked. _Guardian angel._ Those two words left both of them speechless.

Jessica looked at the faces of both versions of Raphael, giving them unemotional stares with her unatural light blue eyes and her mouth showing neither a smile nor a frown. **"Well?"** she asked, her voice still echoing. **"Why would you?"**

After a moment, however, scarlet-eyed Raphael scowled and narrowed his eyes at Jessica. "Guardian angel?" he scoffed. "Please, you can't protect yourself from anything. What makes you think you can possibly protect _him?_" As he asked the question, he pointed the blade of Death's Wing at burgundy-eyed Raphael, clarifying just who he was referring to when he said 'him'.

Immediately, without hesitation, Jessica held up her right arm with her hand open. As if it were picked up by some invisible force, her bright blue sword floated off the ground and swiftly flew back into her hand. Her fingers closed around the hilt with ease, and she soon got into a fighting stance. One that appeared flawless and without fear or hesitation. Then she spoke:

**"I'll have you know that I am not the same child from before."** she said, keeping her stoic expression as she readied herself. **"Everything that you used to know about me is currently irrelevant. If you so choose to fight me now, then you _will_ fall."**

Scarlet-eyed Raphael didn't seem to care, for he smirked after Jessica finished speaking. "No matter. I don't need an _angel_ to guard me, anyway. Dionna is the one who protects me, not a weak girl like you. She constantly watches over me and has given me these powers so that I can satisfy all my lingering desires. All I need to do after I finish completely disposing of you is to figure out how to make these powers she's given me work. And once I do, no one will be able to stop me."

**"_...Is that what you think?_"** Jessica asked.

Scarlet-eyed Raphael's smile vanished after Jessica asked the question. He now seemed to be surprised instead of confident; a significant flaw in his usually arrogant, assertive demeanor. Jessica glanced at burgundy-eyed Raphael then back at scarlet-eyed Raphael before continuing:

**"Listen up, Raphael. Both of you."** she commanded.

**"Dionna doesn't care about you. She's a liar. The only reason she's looking out for you is so that she can use you for her own sick and twisted personal gain. The power that she gives her servants isn't a gift. It's a curse that slowly consumes the sanity of whomever has the power she's given away. The curse strengthens one of the seven deadly sins embedded deep within the victim's own heart to destroy their sanity over a long period of time. Which sin ultimately consumes them depends on the person. I, however, have come to know one thing..."**

Jessica then tightened her grip on her sword and pointed it at her opponent. At the same time, burgundy-eyed Raphael continued to listen to what Jessica was saying with both interest and shock. How did she possibly know all of this?!

**"...And it's that this power she's given you will over time grow so powerful that it won't strengthen just one sin in your heart, but rather all seven. As your guardian angel, I cannot let that happen. So I'm going to stop you. No matter what it takes!"** Jessica then charged at her adversary while gripping her sword in both hands, her icy blue eyes glowing furiously.

Scarlet-eyed Raphael smirked as he watched Jessica come closer. All that brave talk only to attack him the exact same futile way as before? Simply pathetic.

Once Jessica was close enough, scarlet-eyed Raphael swung his demonic blade in a wide, horizontal arc to attack her. However, as if she was expecting him to do so, Jessica jumped up into the air just before the blade could touch her. She glided over him for a short moment before gracefully landing on her two feet behind him.

As soon as Jessica turned back around to face him, she let her left hand let go of her sword and opened the clenched fist so that her palm faced up. A small blue light appeared in the palm of her hand, which quickly transformed into a shard of ice that resembled an icicle, and it looked wickedly sharp. Just as scarlet-eyed Raphael faced her, Jessica's fingers closed around the sharp icicle. In one fluent motion, she threw the ice straight at him.

The icicle grazed her opponent's face, causing him to flinch from the sudden sharp pain and his hand flew to the spot where the ice had cut him. Scarlet-eyed Raphael then shot an irritated glare at Jessica as he gritted his teeth in anger. He was not going to let her make him be in pain. Pain was the last thing he wanted to feel. Pain meant that he wasn't defeating her. Pain meant that he was letting her win. Pain meant that he was weak.

He was **_not_** weak.

Scarlet-eyed Raphael lowered his hand from his face, revealing that the shard that had cut him had left not a bleeding cut, but rather a blue-white scar. It stung, but he wasn't going to let it bother him. He soon backed up a few steps, then quickly lunged out at Jessica with his blade pointed toward her. Instead of impaling her, Jessica quickly dodged the attack by ducking and moving to the side. Before he could strike again, she gripped her sword and swung, slashing his side and leaving another blue-white gash that stung excruciatingly. He didn't want to cry out from the pain, but a cry still escaped from his mouth, held back slightly only because he gritted his teeth tightly as he felt the pain.

Dammit! Why wasn't he winning?! Why was she so strong?!

**"Still wish to dispose of my existence?"** Jessica asked, her voice still echoing while keeping a stoic tone. Scarlet-eyed Raphael glared at her furiously.

"Of course I do!" he yelled back, angrily. He then swung his blade at her multiple times, only to have them either miss their target or collide with her sword. After numerous failed attempts, scarlet-eyed Raphael backed away from Jessica to catch his breath, as he was breathing heavily and beginning to become fatigued.

Suddenly, sheer anger and hatred overwhelmed him. His hands clenched tightly into fists and his breath quickened as his bright red eyes glowered at her. Jessica braced herself for what was coming. His wrath, one of the sins in his heart, was growing stronger. Scarlet-eyed Raphael then spoke, but the anger clouding his mind caused him to struggle to get the words out of his mouth.

"Y-You're...in...my way!" he exclaimed, yelling at her violently. Without warning, scarlet-eyed Raphael lunged at Jessica with all the strength he had in him.

**"...Futile effort..."** Jessica mumbled as she observed her opponent's action.

Immediately, Jessica gripped her sword and ran at scarlet-eyed Raphael, swinging the blade in two wide arcs at his chest once she was close enough. His movements abruptly halted as Jessica slowed the movement of her legs down and eventually stopped running as well. She then closed her eyes and reached for her sword's sheath, slowly removed it from her belt.

No blue-white scars appeared where Jessica had slashed his chest, which confused scarlet-eyed Raphael. He tried to turn around, but his legs wouldn't move. It was as if they were frozen in place. He narrowed his eyes.

"What did you just- augh!" Suddenly, scarlet-eyed Raphael dropped Death's Wing and his hands flew to the center of his chest, where Jessica had slashed him. He had felt a sudden sharp pain. He struggled to turn his head to look at Jessica, but when he did he saw that she had put the very tip of her blue sword back into its sheath. She pushed it in a little farther, and scarlet-eyed Raphael cried out in pain again. "Wh-what are you d-doing?!" he demanded.

No response. Jessica only pushed her blade in farther at an agonizingly slow speed.

Scarlet-eyed Raphael's breathing quickened as the stinging pain turned into excruciating pain. It felt as if ice was enveloping his heart more and more the farther Jessica's sword was in the sheath.

"St-stop it- a-augh!" he cried, the pain and cold inside him increasing.

The sword was a quarter of the way in. Halfway in. Now almost two-thirds in.

"...Stop!" he yelled desperately. _What the hell was she doing to him?!_

Abruptly, Jessica stopped and shot an icy glare at scarlet-eyed Raphael. **"Give me one good reason why I should."** she commanded, unamused with his resistance.

Scarlet-eyed Raphael winced from the pain, which hadn't ended even though Jessica had stopped. Still, he looked back at her and smiled sinisterly. "I-if you kill me, t-then the Raphael you've worked so hard to protect will be weaker than he is now. You don't want him to be weak, d-do you? You want him to be strong so he can live, right?"

Jessica remained silent for a moment as she thought about what he had said, her face remaining emotionless. Soon, however, she sighed.

**"Not a good enough reason, I'm afraid."** Jessica announced. Suddenly, without hesitation, she completely sheathed the rest of her sword.

Immediately, the pain that scarlet-eyed Raphael was feeling severely intensified. He threw his head back as a bloodcurdling scream escaped his mouth, his hands pressed against his chest and gripping the dark purple fabric of his suit as he continued to feel the agony. Suddenly, through unexplainable circumstance, a large shard of ice erupted out of his body, impaling him. As he collapsed onto the ground, Jessica spoke two words, most likely the name of the move she had just used:

_**"...Heaven's Downfall."**_

She then turned so that her back was facing scarlet-eyed Raphael, who was slowly fading away into the shadows.

"...Y-...You only w-weakened...me." he said to Jessica "You haven't...k-killed me...yet. I'll be back..." He winced once more due to the pain still running through him "...to destroy... both of you..." He then disappeared, melting into the blackness.

Raphael stared at the spot where his insane self had disappeared, then switched his gaze to Jessica, who was walking towards him. His eyes widened and he back up slightly, as far as the chains would let him. Was she even the same girl anymore? Was she going to hurt _him_ next?

"J-Jess!" he cried, desperately "P-please don't-" She held up a hand to silence him.

**"Raphael, listen to me."** she said, calmly. **"I want you to understand this: When I am like this, I am Jessica. And yet, at the same time, I am not."** She paused, allowing him to comprehend what she had just told him. **"Do you understand?"** she asked.

Raphael nodded his head.

**"Good."**

Jessica then reached out and grabbed one of the chains that were holding Raphael back. Immediately, both chains glowed a bright white-blue and eventually shattered, setting Raphael free.

However, just as Raphael was beginning to stand, he saw the color of Jessica's eyes switch from icy blue back to their original yellow-gray color. She then gasped in pain and began to collapse towards the ground, only to be caught by Raphael.

Raphael's eyes widened. She wasn't moving. She wasn't breathing.

"No! Jess, don't go!" he cried, grasping her hand. "You can't go! Not yet!" Tears were beginning to stream out of his eyes. He couldn't lose his guardian angel yet. He needed her!

"Jessica, please! I need you more than ever now!" he sobbed. But her amulet didn't glow. Her eyes didn't open. Her body didn't move. "Don't leave me all alone!"

He wiped his tears away with his sleeve, yet more continued to fall no matter how hard he tried to stop crying. Eventually, he couldn't hold back his despair, and wrapped both of his arms around Jessica, embracing her while keeping his eyes shut.

"...I-I'm sorry!" he sobbed, "For everything I've done to you since we first met! I regret it all! Please! Come back!"

Something soft brushed against his cheek.

Raphael opened his eyes and stared in awe. Two translucent blue-white wings were on Jessica's back, wrapped around him. He reached one hand out to touch the delicate feathers on one wing, and immediately he was filled with a warm feeling of hope, like nothing could go wrong. Gently, he pressed the wing's feathers closer to him so that they touched his face, causing the feeling inside him to increase. He smiled and closed his eyes as this happened, embracing the new feeling. It made him feel like he was going to be alright.

"...I forgive you..."

Raphael open his eyes to see Jessica looking back at him with her yellow-gray eyes, a smile showing on her face.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	24. Chapter 24: Lingering Secret

_**!PLEASE NOTE! I DO NOT WHATSOEVER OWN THE BIBLE PASSAGE IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS CHAPTER. I HAVE USED THE KING JAMES VERSION (KJV) OF THE BIBLE PASSAGE, WHICH IS IN FACT IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN (DON'T BELIEVE ME? LOOK IT UP. I MADE SURE TO DO MY RESEARCH BEFORE WRITING THIS CHAPTER), SO THIS DOES NOT BREAK THE RULES AND GUIDELINES.  
**_

_**THANK YOU FOR UNDERSTANDING. NOW ENJOY THE CHAPTER!**_

**I made it extra long (unless you guys now want every chapter after this one to be this long) as a holiday gift for all the fans of this fanfic. Thanks to everyone who took the time to review, favorite, and follow this story. You have no idea how much each one means to me. Happy Holidays, everyone, and enjoy Chapter 24. :)**

* * *

Jessica pressed the wet cloth against her arm, flinching slightly but soon relaxing as another wound healed itself. After removing the cloth, she sighed and stared back at her own reflection in the mirror. She was still covered in a bit of blood but she had already healed most of her more serious wounds.

She pressed the wet cloth against her left cheek, healing the minor cuts while she looked down at the floor of the room where what was left of her light blue shirt was. Raphael had ruined it with his sword so bad that it was pretty much nothing but unwearable rags now. He hadn't damaged her black pants too badly, as she was still currently wearing them despite there being a few large tears in it. Her gray cape was the only article of clothing that, besides her amulet, remained undamaged. She was currently wearing the cape backwards to cover up the front of her body.

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_

"...Can I come in?" Raphael's voice came from behind the closed door.

"Y-Yeah, sure." Jessica replied, placing the cloth on a wound near her right shoulder to let it heal.

The door to the room she was in opened with a creak as Raphael stepped into the room, a glass bottle filled with liquid in hand. He walked over to Jessica and placed a hand delicately on her shoulder just after she removed the wet cloth from there. Jessica turned her head to look at him, and noticed that he was looking at her with a remorseful gaze.

"Feeling any better?" he asked after a quiet moment. Jessica slowly nodded her head in reply, but her response was only partially true. She still had many wounds that she still needed to heal, and even the spots that she had already healed with the water-soaked cloth she was using still stung a bit.

Her back hurt the most. She hadn't healed it yet.

Raphael seemed to notice this and gave a sigh that hinted of frustration. "You should've healed the wound on your back first, Jess." he said. "If you don't heal it soon then it'll get infec-"

"I can't reach it." Jessica said with a irritated, dull tone. "Besides, why should I heal the wound, anyway? When I first cut my wings off I didn't let the wounds heal. The scars remind me that my fear and hesitation are foolish and will only let me allow others to get hurt. So don't tell me to heal it. It's a punishment for my weakness that I completely deserve."

Raphael was taken aback by what Jessica said, but soon regained his original composure and spoke.

"Don't talk like that, Jessica." he said. "Based on what you told me, your boyfriend's death wasn't your fault at all. You didn't let him get killed. In fact, it would have been the last thing you'd wanted. He gave up his life to save you. So stop saying his death was your fault. You're being too hard on yourself."

The two of them remained silent for awhile as Jessica thought about what Raphael had just told her. After a moment, she smiled slightly and looked at Raphael. "You're right." Jessica said. "Now I think I'll let the wound heal this time."

"Let me help. Lean forward a bit." Raphael commanded, removing the lid from the bottle he was holding. Jessica hesitated at first, nervous about what Raphael was going to do. Was his insanity going to control him again and cause him to poor more scalding hot water on her? But she eventually shook the completely ridiculous thought out of her head and did as she was told, keeping both her hands on the edge of the table in front of her for support.

"Just to warn you," Raphael said, just about to pour the liquid from the bottle onto the wound on Jessica's back. "This is going to sting."

He was right: as soon as the clear liquid touched the wound it began to sting painfully. A small cry escaped Jessica's mouth and her hands kept a tight grip on the table. She felt Raphael place a hand on her shoulder, reassuring her that everything was going to be alright despite the pain she was feeling.

"I... I know it hurts, but that means the medicine is working." Raphael said as Jessica began feeling less tense. "You'll be alright, trust me." Raphael then took the cold, wet cloth from Jessica's hand and placed it on the wound, causing the stinging to slowly cease and the wound to close up. After the stinging stopped, Raphael removed the wet cloth from her back. Jessica released her grip on the table and sighed, relieved it was over. She returned to an upright position and took the cloth back from Raphael, giving him a smile; her silent way of saying 'thank you'.

"Call for me when you've fully healed all your wounds." Raphael said, beginning to leave the room. "I've found something for you to wear to replace your ruined clothes."

* * *

"I told you already, I don't need- augh!" Kaos gritted his teeth as the burn on his chest stung excruciatingly again. Xion glared at Kaos as she helped him lean against a tall evergreen tree.

"_Yes you do_." Xion said in a frustrated tone of voice. "Do you think that severe burn is just going to heal itself? It's not going to, so please lie down and let me have a look at it so I can make it stop hurting."

Kaos was about to object again, but he gave up and did as Xion told him. He had already tried to persuade Xion multiple times before that he would be just fine even if she didn't tend to the wound, but every time she had insisted that he needed it healed before they did anything else.

Xion thought about what she should do in order to gain access to the wound she needed to tend to. Would she have to force herself to completely take his shirt off? She blushed slightly at the thought but then immediately shook it out of her head. To do so would be ridiculous. The two of them barely knew each other. She couldn't force herself to do something like that.

"I'll just undo a few of the buttons on his shirt." Xion mumbled to herself as she kneeled down next to where Kaos was lying. She then hesitatingly proceeded to do so.

She had only unbuttoned five of the buttons on Kaos' black shirt when she could completely see the burn on his chest. Xion gasped quietly upon seeing the wound. "Oh gods..." she whispered. The large burn on his flesh was a bright reddish-pink color, a contrast to Kaos' pale skin.

_Think, Xion, think!_ she told herself desperately. _Summon something, anything to help! _Her eyes widened as a thought came into her mind. She had a bag of potions at her home. Maybe, just maybe...

Xion closed her eyes as her hands moved gracefully above the ground in front of her, the tips of her fingers being enveloped in a silvery-green aura. After a moment, a light shone below where she was moving her hands, which transformed into a large brown bag with the end of it tied with a bit of rope. Xion then opened her eyes and proceeded to untie the knot that was keeping the bag closed.

"Okay, let me get this straight, here." Antag said to Xion, suddenly breaking the silence. "You can create weapons, receive visions, and summon various objects with your magic, but with it you _can't_ heal wounds?! If you ask me, that makes you seem kinda usele-" Antag was suddenly cut off by Kaos angrily hitting the blunt side of the blade with his fist.

"Every magic wielder is different." Xion replied while rummaging through the bag, the sound of glass clinking together coming from the bag as she moved her hand around in it. "My magic is mainly meant for combat, not medical purposes, so I have to resort to potions for healing." She then removed a small bottle that contained a silvery liquid from the bag.

Kaos looked at the amount of liquid in the bottle Xion was holding. There wasn't much. Would it even be enough? He watched as Xion began to pour the liquid onto her right hand. Kaos narrowed his eyes in confusion. Was she going to use all of the potion at once?

"H-Hey, don't use all of- a-ah!" Kaos gritted his teeth and his body tensed up as Xion's hand touch the burn. Immediately, Xion's face showed an apologetic look as she jerked her hand back. Soon, however, she regained her previous composure, yet her eyes still showed sympathy.

"I-I'm sorry it hurts when I touch the burn," she said "but I need to rub the potion onto the burn so it'll hurt less."

Kaos' body relaxed as the stinging momentarily stopped. "I-...It's fine." he said. "But do you even have enough of the-" He tensed up again and his eyes shut once more as Xion began rubbing the potion onto the wound. As gentle as she was trying to be, the burn still hurt from her touch. After a moment Xion pulled her hand away and Kaos once again reopened his eyes, only to see that the bottle in Xion's hand somehow refilled itself.

"How-?"

"It's a spell I place on all potions I make so that the bottles automatically refill themselves no matter how much I use. It helps me never run out of the liquid in case I happen need more than what's already in the bottle." Xion explained, pouring more of the silver potion onto her palm. "It's especially helpful in situations like these."

The two of them remained silent as Xion continued to apply the potion onto the wound. Kaos kept his eyes closed as he relaxed and felt the stinging pain on his chest slowly subside. Eventually, he couldn't feel the pain at all, and he stood up as Xion began putting the potion bottles away and retying the rope that was keeping the bag closed. An awkward silence fell between the two of them before Xion spoke up.

"I guess the question now is, now what do we do?" she asked

Kaos frowned and his eyes narrowed in confusion. "Don't you care about Jess?" he asked. Xion smiled slightly as she hoisted her bag upon her shoulder.

"I've known Jess for many years and, believe it or not, she's gotten out of some pretty fatal situations pretty well by herself." she said while adjusting the position of her bag on her shoulder. "Yes, it is true that I'm concerned for her safety, but I still have faith that she'll be alright." She then frowned.

"I just hope she still remembers to take the potion I've given her..." Xion said, worry suddenly showing on her face.

"Jess? What does _she_ need a potion for?" Antag asked. "She doesn't look like someone who would be in need of a potion to help herself. Unless, of course, the potion would somehow cure her wimpiness." Kaos shot Antag an icy glare.

Xion averted her eyes for a moment before speaking up.

"Jess can explain how it happened better than I can, but all I know is that there's a part of her that's..." she suddenly paused and shuddered at the thought before continuing.

"... not human."

* * *

Jessica groaned as she suddenly crumpled onto the hard floor of the bedroom, hugging her body tightly. She hurt all over. "Ugh... N-no...please...n-not again..." she croaked, keeping her eyes shut to try and ignore the pain, but to no avail.

She heard footsteps rushing towards her, and the sound of Raphael's voice reached her ears:

"Jess?! What's wrong?!" he asked desperately as he reached out and grabbed her hand. "Speak to me!" She only groaned in reply. He then noticed that Jessica was beginning to sweat profusely, wetting the fabric of the sleeveless navy blue dress he had given her to wear. He took out a handkerchief and pressed it against her forehead to try to wipe the sweat away.

Raphael's eyes widened as he felt the heat from Jessica's body cut through the fabric of the handkerchief like a knife. She was burning up. Questions began plaguing his mind. Did Jessica have a fever? If she did, it was certainly no ordinary fever. Was it some sort of strange sickness? Or worse... malfestation?! Had _he_ caused this to happen?

Jess struggled to get words out of her mouth.

"Potion...small glass vial...on table" she said with struggle "...hurry..." Immediately after the words left her mouth, she heard Raphael's footsteps as he rushed out of the room.

The short moment Jessica was in while waiting for Raphael to come back felt like a painful eternity. Her whole body ached and she felt like she had been thrown into a raging fire. Her right shoulder ached and burned the most.

Fortunately, Raphael came back with the vial just in time. He helped Jessica sit up.

"Is this it?" he asked, holding up a small glass vial filled with a blue-white liquid.

"Y-...yes," Jessica croaked, weakly reaching out to grab the vial. Once her fingers closed around it, she removed the small lid and took two sips of the liquid inside. Immediately, her temperature returned to normal and her body stopped aching. She breathed a sigh of relief as she put the vial around her neck using the sting attached to it, the glass clinking against her amulet's jewel. Raphael then helped Jessica back onto her feet.

"What just happened to you?" Raphael asked worriedly. "Why did you need that vial?" Jessica rubbed her right shoulder nervously for a moment before speaking up.

"There's so much about me that you still need to learn, including why what just happened occurred when it did." she said. "I-..." Jessica sighed, collecting her thoughts and turning her head to look away from Raphael, afraid of what his reaction would be once she told him.

"...I have a shard of Soul Edge inside me." Jessica said. "That's the reason why my blood tastes sweet to you. The liquid in the vial prevents the shard from ultimately controlling me, although it's already done so a couple times with disastrous results every time."

Raphael was completely shocked by the new information, but he quickly calmed down.

"...Is that shard in you part of the reason why you've wished to help me all this time?" he asked "Because you know what it's like ...being malfested?" Jessica didn't respond verbally, she only nodded her head slightly.

"You need rest, Jess." Raphael said, helping her onto the bed in the room. Jessica seemed to give him a worried look.

"There's no time for that." she said. "We need to hurry up and find Xion and Kaos, then defeat Dionna and find Amy!" Raphael froze for a moment after hearing Amy's name, but then tucked Jessica in under the bed sheets.

"_Rest._" he insisted. "You've been through too much tonight. We can continue in the morning."

"But-"

Jessica quickly gave up before she could say anything else and sighed, making herself comfortable under the sheets. But even as Raphael left the room and closed the door, she didn't close her eyes. Instead, she tossed and turned in the bed for a moment, being careful not to ruin the dress as it was now the only thing she was able to wear. After much turning and being unable to fall asleep, her eyes fell upon a thick book laying on the small table near the bed. She reached out and grabbed the small, yet thick book, and opened to a random page. The moonlight shining through the window helped her read the words.

The passages were a little confusing for her, but at the same time they made sense in a way. The passages talked about how to lead a good life, and what was and was not good for a person to do. One passage, however, Jessica really liked, and she read it over and over:

_**"My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:**_

_**For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.**_

_**My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.**_

_**If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:**_

_**Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:**_

_**We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:**_

_**Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:**_

_**My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:**_

_**For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.**_

_**Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.**_

_**And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.**_

_**So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof."**_

_**(Proverbs 1:8-19)**_

"Do you seriously believe the countless number of _lies_ that are in that _abomination_ of a book?" Cantero's voice broke Jessica's concentration and caused her to jump due to being startled. She looked toward where the voice came from and saw Cantero leaning against the wall, smirking.

"Don't bother me." Jessica said stoically, frowning as she closed the book and set it back down on the table. "I know it was you who gave Raphael the bottle with the boiling water so he could pour it onto me. And it was _**you**_ who put this shard into my shoulder as painfully as possible. How much more do you want to see me suffer?"

Cantero just stayed where he was. "You should embrace that power the shard is giving you. That's why I put it into you, after all. You do want to be powerful, _don't you?_ So you no longer have to be _weak?_"

Jessica gritted her teeth in anger as she laid back down, trying to press her ears against the pillows to block out Cantero's voice, but it unfortunately didn't work. "Leave me alone, or I'll stab you straight through that heartless chest of yours!" she said, forcefully.

Cantero chuckled after hearing Jessica's threat. "Oh my, getting violent are we? You know, Jessica," he said in a seductive-like tone "you're cute when you're threatening. I like that." He remained silent for a moment before speaking again. "And although your little magic wielder friend has given you that small vial with the potion, it won't always work. The shard _will_ take full control of you, in time."

As Cantero finished speaking, he completely dissolved into the shadows, leaving Jessica alone in the dark room that was illimiunated only by the moonlight shining through the window.

As Jessica began drifting of into sleep, a thought plagued her mind.

"How can I possibly be Raphael's guardian angel? Angels are supposed to be pure. I'm not pure at all; I have this Soul Edge shard inside me. Not only that, I'm still human. I have weaknesses just like everyone else." Her eyes closed with a final thought:**"Will the shard strengthen the sins in my heart like Dionna's power does to the sins in the hearts of her servants?"**

With that final question, Jessica wondered if she really was, in fact, an angel, or some sort of demon.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_**!Please note! Any statement the characters in this story make from here on out about the Bible does not in any way, shape, or form reflect my opinion of any aspect of the Catholic/Christian religion. Please understand and Happy Holidays!**_

**REVIEWS APPRECIATED!**


	25. Chapter 25: Tira's Fatal Mistake

Dionna smiled as she gazed into the open coffin where Amy's motionless, sleeping body lay. Her fingertips brushed the little girl's cold skin and twirled the beautiful vermilion colored hair. Still, Amy's eyes didn't open. She looked as if she were dead, but Dionna knew otherwise. The girl was very much still alive, just in a coma-like state that Dionna had put her in.

If everything were to go exactly how Dionna wanted, then her plan would be complete.

"Cantero," she said, addressing her partner. "Do you have the souls I need for this to work?"

"Of course." Cantero replied, nodding. He then pointed his staff at a pile of small, equally sized, circular purplish-white orbs near Dionna's throne. The purplish-white orbs were the souls of people who were evil-doers in life. (The souls of people who were good in life were blue-green colored.)

"As you know, Dionna, we've gathered these souls from various mortal warriors around the world." Cantero said. "Each warrior fought in a different style, and this pile of souls contains the knowledge of every warrior's method of fighting on this planet." He then looked at Dionna, a triumphant grin showing on his face. "I do believe," he said, confidently "that we are ready to begin this experiment of ours."

Dionna walked away from the open coffin and went over to the pile of souls Cantero had shown her. She walked around the pile a few times, smiling as she observed their collection. However, her smile soon faded and she stopped in front of Cantero, frowning at him.

"**_We're not ready._**" she said, irritated. "There's one style of fighting we're still missing."

Cantero's face showed a mixture of surprise and anger. He had collected those souls himself. How could he have possibly missed one?!

"Wh-which style do we still need?" he asked, determined yet shaken slightly by his failure. "I-I'll go and find a warrior who fights that way immediately!" Dionna only raised and eyebrow.

"Do you really expect to find someone who fights with a _**ring blade**_ so easily?" she asked in a seemingly bored tone of voice.

Cantero was about to say something, but he was cut off by a loud shout coming from somewhere near the throne room's entrance. Both he and Dionna looked toward where the noise had come from. Soon, they heard what sounded like a young female yelling:

"For the last time: Let go of me you damn birds!"

Recognizing the girl's voice, Dionna smiled slightly and walked over to her throne, sitting down. Cantero also hurriedly took his position, standing next to the right of Dionna's tone as both of them waited for the person to enter. And come she did, being dragged in by multiple ravens, their eyes varying in color.

Dionna looked down at the seventeen year old with a cold, observing expression as the birds released their grip on their captive and let her fall onto the stone floor. The girl had pale skin, dark brown hair in two lopsided pigtails, and an unusual revealing red-orange ensemble with tall brown boots One golden metal glove covered her right hand. The blood-colored raven symbol on her left hand told Dionna that this was one of her servants, but it wasn't just _any_ servant of hers.

"Why Tira, I thought you liked birds." Dionna said cunningly, noticing that Tira was swatting at the ravens with her hands to scatter them. "Aren't ravens your favorite?"

Tira only scowled at Dionna as she continued to be in her gloomy persona.

"Your ravens are nothing but pests, unlike Nightmare's watchers..." she growled, beginning to stand up. "Tell your birds here to leave me the hell alone!"

Dionna gritted her teeth at the mention of Nightmare's name, and abruptly stood up.

"Nightmare is dead, Tira. He was merely a pawn of Soul Edge, nothing more. You don't serve him anymore. You serve me. Nightmare gave you nothing. I gave you freedom and power."

Abruptly, Tira switched to her jolly personality. "That's true!" she chirped. "And I really appreciate all that you've done to help me."

"Really?" Dionna asked as she sat back down onto her throne, feigning a curious tone of voice when she was really boiling with rage inside. "If you were _**really**_ so thankful for all I've done, you wouldn't have tried to _**hide**_ from me for _**two months**_ since I _specifically_ told you to bring Soul Calibur to me after you stole it from Sorel's castle!"

Dionna then snatched her sword and turned the blade into a whip, wrapping and tightening it around Tira's neck with an accurate flick of her wrist.

"So," Dionna said, watching her prisoner attempt to wrestle the whip from her neck. "Where exactly is the sword now, Tira?"

"I-I don't... h-have it..." Tira croaked desperately. Dionna only glared at Tira, not believing her words.

"Don't have it, you say? Then how come I can sense its presence all of a sudden, not to mention that of Soul Edge as well?" Dionna asked, suddenly smiling sadistically as she met Tira's eyes. Something had flashed in them for a short moment. Fear? Whatever it was, Dionna could tell Tira was hiding something from her.

Tira switched back to being gloomy.

"Didn't you hear me? I-I don't... have it and I have n-no idea w-what you're... t-talking about." she replied, glaring back at Dionna as she struggled to get the whip unwound from her neck.

A violet-eyed raven that was perched next to where Cantero was standing suddenly squawked angrily at Tira, causing all three people in the room to turn their attention to it.

"What seems to be the trouble, Charon?" Cantero asked, smiling as he addressed the raven by the name he had given it. It was _his_ raven, after all. Charon then squawked again, it's eyes still focused on Tira.

"Are you saying that little miss Tira here is _lying_ to her mistress?" Cantero asked. "That she really does in fact know where the sword is?" He then chuckled quietly. "How disrespectful! Well then, why don't you help us uncover the truth, Charon, since miss Tira is too scared to do so herself."

Charon then swooped down from where he was perched and flew over to where Tira was. His talons grabbed hold of the Golden glove on Tira's right hand and soon he began to tug the glove off. Tira fought back, however, trying to wrestle her glove away from the furious raven. Try as she might, the raven was able to completely tug the glove off.

As the glove came off, two small shiny objects fell out of the glove and clattered onto the stone floor. Immediately, Dionna unwound her whip from Tira's neck and used it to grab the two objects, pulling them toward her just as Tira reached for them herself. Charon returned to his normal perch beside Cantero.

Dionna placed the two small objects onto her palm and observed them. The first object was shiny, blue-white colored, and resembled a piece of ice. An aura that contained purity seemed to radiate off of it. The second object contained various shades of dark red, and had an aura that seemed to hint of unending wrath and bloodlust.

The shards of the soul swords.

"...Tira?" Dionna said, calmly addressing her servant. She then gritted her teeth and angrily flicked her wrist, causing her bladed whip to smack Tira hard.

**_"What is the meaning of this?!"_** Dionna shrieked, now no longer hiding her fury. She then abruptly slammed the shards down on the arm of her throne, got up and stormed over to where Tira was. Once she was right in front of her servant, Dionna roughly grabbed one of Tira's pigtails, yanking her up. **"Why have you brought me a mere _shard_ of Soul Calibur?! You have some explaining to do, young lady!"**

Tira now seemed to be jolly, but scared as she spoke.

"W-well, a-after Soul Edge was destroyed, I-I wanted to find a way to bring it back." she said. "I-I knew that Soul Calibur would get in the way of my plan, so-"

"...Your plan." Dionna said in an unamused tone. "**_Your_** plan!" She then angrily threw Tira back down onto the ground. "You were using the swords for your own personal gain!" Dionna grabbed her weapon and transformed it from a whip back to a sword, pointing it at Tira's neck as she walked towards her. Frightened by the murderous look in Dionna's eyes, Tira backed away from Dionna quickly.

"You, Tira, have disobeyed me for too long!" Dionna yelled. Her tone then quickly changed from angry to sinister. "You are no longer of use to me, nor are worthy of the power I have given you. For that, I will give you the honor of knowing the precise meaning of agony."

Tira then stopped backing away from Dionna and pouted.

"Hey, no fair!" she whined. "That Raphael guy has disobeyed you worse than I have, and yet you're letting **_him_** live and are going to kill **_me_**?! What gives?!" Dionna abruptly stopped walking toward Tira and smiled sinisterly.

"I have plans for him. Also, who said _**I**_ was the one who was going to kill you?" the goddess asked.

Tira only pondered on Dionna's statement for a split second before Cantero suddenly appeared out of nowhere next to her. Just as he swung the bladed part of his staff at her, Tira backflipped away. Once Tira was back on her two feet she held out her left hand, causing her weapon to appear.

"Now play nicely with her, Cantero." Dionna said as she walked back towards her throne. "We want her to last a long time before we end her life. And do try to make things interesting this time, alright?"

Cantero nodded his head, acknowledging what Dionna had told him before turning his attention to the weapon Tira had. Her ring blade seemed to consist of two rings: The inner ring appeared to be made out of stained glass, each piece a different color of the rainbow. The larger outer ring that surrounded the smaller inner ring was silver and had blades that seemed to resemble wings. Cantero raised his eyebrows, recognizing the weapon Tira was holding.

"You're using the weapon we gave you." Cantero observed. "Bifrost." Tira beamed with excitement.

"Yep! And I can't wait to tear you to pieces with it!" she cried joyfully before running toward Cantero with great agility. Once close enough, she swung her ring blade in a wide vertical arc, happily yelling out "Swoosh!" as an extra sound effect.

Cantero turned his body to avoid the attack, the blades just barely missing him. Before he could even get the chance to attack his opponent, Tira grabbed her ring blade in both hands and began spinning her body around, intending to cut Cantero to shreds.

'Damn. I forgot how fast she was.' Cantero thought as he quickly moved himself multiple times to dodge the blades. Tira then proceeded to hit Cantero with multiple horizontal slashes. He moved left to avoid the first slash, then right to avoid the second, and then he leaned back to avoid the third horizontal slash. However, just as Cantero was returning to his upright position, he felt the ring blade's cold metal slash his exposed chest, leaving a deep diagonal gash on his skin that slowly began healing as soon as it had appeared.

Cantero gritted his teeth from the pain but remained focused on the fight he was in. He threw his staff into the air and jumped just as Tira swung her blade at him again. While airborne, he grabbed his staff with his left hand. It immediately glowed a golden color and seemed to morph into a different weapon. His weapon ceased glowing as he landed back onto the ground.

Tira looked at the purple and gold weapon Cantero was holding, confused. He was now using... nunchucks?! Just a moment ago he had been holding a staff! She suddenly switched back to being gloomy.

"How did you- augh!"

Tira was abruptly cut off by Cantero rapidly hitting her twice across her face with the nunchucks, then a low sweeping kick to her legs that caused her to trip.

"Nuisance!" Tira yelled as she slowly began to get up off the floor, only to roll out of the way to avoid another one of Cantero's attack. She then noticed that the weapon had changed again; this time from nunchucks to a small double-bladed axe with golden blades.

"What's going on?!" Tira demanded as she angrily swung her ring blade at Cantero again, only to have the attack blocked. "How are you doing that?!"

Cantero only smirked and swung his axe twice in wide arcs. Tira blocked the first attack then evaded the second. He then moved out of the way as Tira lunged herself at him, only to have her fall back onto the floor.

"My staff is a special one." Cantero said with a smile. He then swung the axe at Tira again. She dodged the attack, but it was with difficulty this time. Then Cantero continued talking. "It can cast spells of any element, as well as transform into any weapon that I desire."

"Ha! You certainly haven't been casting any spells yet." Tira said with a smile, indicating she had switched back to being jolly. She then dodged another attack by doing a handstand, and soon landed back on her own two feet with ease before continuing to talk, not paying attention to what Cantero was doing.

"I'm starting to think you're just pretending it can even cast spells, considering I've never once seen you- eeek!" Tira abruptly stopped talking and uttered a small screech as she lifted her feet off the ground to quickly avoid a blue lightning bolt that hit the ground right where her feet had originally been. She looked back at Cantero wide-eyed, finally noticing that he had abruptly changed the axe back to the staff it had been before the duel had started.

"Still think I'm pretending?" Cantero asked, raising an eyebrow. He watched as Tira's face slowly changed from showing shock to excitement, but she gave no response.

Cantero then grabbed his staff in both hands, the magenta stone at the tip suddenly glowing a bright red-orange color. He then swung his staff in a horizontal arc, causing fire to suddenly be shot at Tira. Once again, she dodged the magic blast with the same ecstatic look as before.

"That's it!" she cried playfully. "Show me ya mean business!"

Dionna watched from her throne as the fight went on. She observed both fighters with cold expressions, watching as both of them attempted to strike each other with great force. Neither side was even close to giving in. However, Dionna knew deep down who was going to win, and who was going to lose.

Once more, Cantero swung the bladed part of his staff at Tira, only to have it collide with her ring blade. _However,_ instead of attempting to use brute force to push Tira to the ground, he looked at Dionna as Tira began pushing him back with her own strength.

Cantero watched as Dionna looked at him and narrowed her eyes. She then mouthed four words:

_**"Let her do it."**_

Without warning, Tira slammed her ring blade down into the ground for support and swung her feet at Cantero, knocking him off balance. She then let her ring blade fall onto the floor and launched herself at Cantero, toppling him and causing him to land on the floor with her on top of him. She grabbed Cantero's wrists and looked down at him with a gleeful, devilish smile as he attempted to squirm away.

"Nighty night." Tira said with a giggle. She then slammed her lips onto Cantero's, kissing him.

Cantero tried to wrestle himself out of Tira's grasp, but he could feel his strength being quickly drained from his body at an alarming rate. He was starting to feel numb and his vision was blacking out...

Finally, after for what had seemed like an eternity, Tira let go of Cantero's wrists and got off of him, standing up. She backed up a few steps and looked down at Cantero, who was weakly gasping for breath and trying to keep his eyes open. She smiled triumphantly as she heard him take one last shaky breath and saw that he stopped moving completely. The ring blade wielder then turned to Dionna, her back facing her fallen opponent.

"Heh. Now what are you gonna do?" Tira asked with a giggle. "I just killed your finest warrior."

Dionna closed her eyes, sighed, then smiled at Tira.

"I'm impressed, Tira." Dionna said. "You put up a good fight. No one has ever managed to actually kill Cantero before..."

Tira smiled after hearing the compliment.

"Aw, thanks!" Tira chirped. "It was a lot of fun!" After a moment, she quietly sighed and stretched. "You know, it's such a shame that he broke so early. I was really expecting him to-"

_**"...And no one ever will."**_

Tira's smile faded after Dionna interrupted her. She was about to speak when she suddenly felt her throat being grabbed tightly from behind her. She struggled to breathe as she tried to release the person's grasp from her. But then a voice whispered into her ear.

_Cantero's voice._

"You thought you had killed me, didn't you?" he whispered seductively with a smile. "You thought I was mortal, like the other servants. That's why you used your soul-sapping kiss on me." He then tightened his grip on Tira's throat. "_But you thought wrong."_

Cantero then released his grip on Tira's throat, letting her fall onto the ground. Before Tira could even stand up, he swiftly grabbed his staff and held the stone next to her; first by her wrists, then by her ankles. As he did this, the stone glowed with a light-blue aura, and Cantero watched as shackles that were literally made out of ice captured Tira, keeping her in a sitting position on the ground.

Tira watched as Cantero moved his way around her, eventually stopping right in front of her. She gritted her teeth in anger, switching back to her gloomy personality.

"Stay away." she hissed. "You irritate me."

Cantero only quietly laughed to himself. "Don't you want to know what really happened during our fight?" he asked while smoothing his raven-black colored hair.

"I couldn't care less about what happened. Now let me go!" Tira demanded. Cantero merely continued talking as if Tira had never answered his question:

"I allowed you to use your soul-sapping kiss on me because it would make you think you had won." he said. "Turns out that you never actually took my soul away, just one of the thousands of souls I have absorbed for eons. Though you did somehow manage to drain my strength away for a short time..."

Cantero smiled sinisterly as he looked into Tira's eyes, observing her anger and hatred toward him. The power Dionna had given her had strengthened the girl's wrath and lust significantly over the years, but Tira wouldn't need the power once she became a corpse_._

Keeping a tight grip on his staff, Cantero kept his eyes focused on Tira as he positioned the bladed part of the staff near her chest. Without warning, he thrusted the blades into Tira, causing blood to stain the ground. He sensed that Tira was growing weak as she continued to lose blood.

Cantero smiled as he drew his staff from Tira's body. The two blood-stained cresent-shaped moon blades had closed around a small purplish circular orb.

Tira's soul.

Cantero smiled triumphantly and spoke one final statement to Tira as her life began to slip away:

_**"How does it feel, Tira, to lose one last time?"**_

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**

**So what did you think? Should I write more chapters that specifically focus on the antagonists of this story?**

**I know Tira's a difficult character to write, so I hope I wrote both personalities correctly. **

**What do you believe is going to happen?**

**Let me know how this chapter was in a review! I really appreciate it. And thank you, everyone, for your continued support. Means so much to me.**

** ~ jbanime36**


	26. Chapter 26: Maniacal Treatment

_**"Jessica..."**_

She heard the echoing female voice calling her with the same malevolent tone it had used so many times before. It came from somewhere in the inky blackness surrounding her, but she didn't dare turn around to respond or see who was speaking to her. Jessica already knew who it was.

_**"Jessica..."**_

It called her again, this time sounding a little more ticked off. Jessica continued to ignore the voice that called her, however. It had talked to her so many times, always reminding her of the same thing: that she was weak, and needed more power. But Jessica refused to listen. She knew what she would end up becoming if she gave in again: she would become a murdurer. No, that wasn't the right word...

A monster. That's what she'd become. A malfested was _always_ considered a monster...

_**"Jessica. Look at me, please."**_ it said, speaking in a tone that demanded her attention.

Giving a sigh of frustration, Jessica finally obeyed and turned her head to look behind her toward where the voice had come from.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw another version of herself. It looked a lot like her, but there were clearly some noticable differences: it's skin was slightly more pale than her own, the hair on its head was such a dark shade of brown that you could almost mistaken it for black, and it's eyes shone a bright red. Even the dress which it wore wasn't the same as her own, as it was a deep crimson rather than a navy blue. Only the amulet around its neck had remained the same color.

The other her now gave Jess an impatient look.

**"_Directly_ at me."** it said, getting impatient.

Jessica did as she was told and looked into the shining scarlet eyes which were staring back at her.

"I've already told you many times, Soul Edge," Jessica replied, her hands balling up into fists. "I'm not going to let you control me." She then closed her eyes and quickly turned around to look away. "You've already taken over me multiple times, causing me to kill almost all of my close friends." Tears now began welling up in her eyes.

"Haven't you had enough souls yet?!" Jess yelled, sobbing at the same time. "What more do you want from me?! You just say the same things every time!"

Soul Edge's version of her didn't even raise an eyebrow. She only sighed.

**"This time's different."** Soul Edge said, folding her arms. **"There are some things I need to explain to you."**

"You don't need to explain anything!" Jessica yelled. "I already know how weak I am! You don't have to rub it in every time you talk to me!" But Soul Edge continued talking despite Jessica's outbursts:

**"It's not about your weakness, or power, this time."** she said. **"It's about Dionna. And, more importantly, why you're Raphael's guardian angel."**

Immediately after hearing those last few sentences, Jessica stopped crying and turned around. Now instead of being angry, Jessica seemed determined; eager to know more.

Noticing that Jessica was now paying attention, Soul Edge began to talk.

**"I'm sure you already know that those who either wield me or come into contact with my blade transform into beings called malfested."** she said, beginning to pace back and forth in front of Jessica. **"As the one who transforms them into what they are, I intend on keeping them alive so they can continue to gather souls for me."**

Jessica then took a step forward.

"But Raphael once told me that he vowed not to do that." she said, interrupting Soul Edge. "He is not like the other's you've cursed! His will is stronger than most."

**"Yes, I know."** Soul Edge said in a bored tone. **"Nevertheless, I intend to keep him alive."** She then sighed. **"But since I'm currently in pieces, I have no choice but to use what power I have to do so, which is just a mere fraction of what I possess as a completed sword."**

"What-... what does that have to do with me being Raphael's guardian?" Jessica asked, becoming slightly confused. Where exactly was Soul Edge going with this tale?

Soul Edge them smiled and looked at her.

**"When Cantero put me into your shoulder, he unknowingly made you into a guardian of a malfested of your choice. After your very first battle with Raphael, you unknowingly pledged to defend him with your very existence."** Jessica's eyes then widened.

"Th-that doesn't make any sense!" Jessica said, backing away a couple steps. "I hated him back then!"

**"You never hated him." **Soul Edge responded.** "If you had, you would have actually tried to kill him long ago. All your battles and heated arguments were just because y****ou were trying to act tough around him. ****You always believed that he could have a change of heart one day."** She then looked Jessica in the eye, her gaze turning cold.** "You're the only one who will even give him a chance given his current state. I don't want you to even think about backing down from this. You've already come too far to turn back."**

Jessica thought about what Soul Edge had just told her. She then recalled the fight from earlier when she had transferred her soul to Raphael in order to free him from his insanity.

"What about the fight from before?" Jessica asked Soul Edge. "How come I didn't die even after I was stabbed? And how did I know so much about Dionna? I've only fought her once, and that was when I barely knew anything about her."

**"Simple."** Soul Edge replied. **"You gained the knowledge from me."**

"You?"

Soul Edge nodded its head.** "I've had many wielders in the past who ended up traveling down to The Underworld to try and defeat Dionna. Apparently, one of them happened to overhear Dionna and Cantero discussing a plan they were hoping to carry out. Apparently, the two of them had been planning this for quite some time." **Soul Edge suddenly stopped talking and frowned, thinking for a moment.

**"Of course, that was a long time ago, and parts of the plan could've changed."**

Suddenly, Jessica began to become suspicious, and she narrowed her eyes.

"How can I know that you're telling the truth?" she asked. "You're an _evil_ sword. Why should I believe that you aren't lying to me?" Soul Edge looked directly at her, then replied to Jessica's question:

**"I never forget a face."** she said. **"And I _never_ forget what I hear." **She then took a few steps toward Jessica, keeping the same expression on her face.** "Furthermore, I despise Dionna just as much as you do, but for different reasons."**

After a quiet moment, Soul Edge continued her explanation of the fight from earlier.

**"Raphael's insanity was correct when he said that the stab should have killed you. But since I wanted to make sure that you didn't die without fulfilling your destiny first, I strengthened your soul with my power to allow you to continue fighting."**

"But if that's the case, I should've been completely controlled by you." Jessica said. "I wasn't controlled at all. I was just stronger and filled with new knowledge." Soul Edge seemed to be just as uncertain about what exactly had happened as well, as she nodded her head and shrugged her shoulders. **"Maybe only the knowledge was able to be transferred over. Your body _was_ severely weakened, after all, considering how much Raphael had wounded you."**

With quiet now surrounding the two of them, Jessica averted her eyes and rubbed her right shoulder with her hand nervously.

"So... does all of this mean that you're going to be helping me defeat Dionna?" she asked.

**"I'm more interested in keeping Raphael alive, but you could say that."** Soul Edge replied. She then looked at Jessica with a serious look. **"Speaking of which, I suggest that you wake up now. It's getting late and you two should start moving along as soon as possible."**

* * *

Jessica woke up from her dream, groggily attempting to sit up in bed as she rubbed her eyes. She looked out of the window in the room, but no sunlight was shining through. Soul Edge had said it was getting late... What time was it? Raphael had said he would wake her up in the morning...

She finally blinked the sleep away from her eyes and looked at the clock in the room. It was currently... almost 7:45.

Wait... that shouldn't have been right. It was summer. The sun would be shining quite brightly right now if it was morning. Jessica glanced out the window again, noticing that it wasn't cloudy and the sky was quite dark. That meant that it must be 7:45...

At _night_?!

Jessica tore off the bed sheets with a mixture of anger and panic, and soon stormed off toward the door of her room after smoothing out the fabric of her dress a few times. Why hadn't Raphael waked her?! Did he just plan to leave her here while he went off?!

"RAPHAEL!" she yelled, after forcing the door open with a slam. When she received no response, Jessica began to storm through the halls and down the stairs. After a bit of searching, she finally found him in the far corner of the throne room, standing there with his back facing her.

"RAPH!" Jessica yelled, walking over to him. "What in the world is wrong with you?! You said you'd wake me up in the morning! It's currently 7:45 at night. At night! What were you thinking?! We've practically wasted an entire day that we could've spent reuniting with Xion and Kaos and getting closer to our goal!"

Despite all her yelling however, Raphael didn't turn around or reply.

"Hey! I'm talking to you! Are you even listening to-" Jessica soon stopped yelling after she noticed something in front of Raphael. A broken sword. But it wasn't just any sword.

It was Death's Wing, now in a bunch of purple and crimson pieces.

"...I won't use it." Raphael said. "I won't use the sword's powers for Dionna's bidding." Jessica then noticed he appeared to be getting a bit emotional. "I won't use it to hurt _you!_" Raphael yelled, tears seeming to form in his eyes. He quickly wiped them away before she could see him cry, however.

Jessica stared at the pieces of the sword which lay on the floor in awe. "How-?" It was then that she noticed that Raphael was now holding a completely different sword, one that she hadn't seen him use before. Still, it looked familiar to her. She returned her gaze to Raphael, who was facing her now.

"Is that... a Queen's Guard?" Jessica asked him. Raphael nodded his head.

"I read that they're supposed to protect the wielder from evil, so I thought it might be strong enough to destroy the sword." Raphael explained. He then smiled. "Guess I was right."

"...Can I see it?" Jessica asked. Raphael nodded his head and handed her the sword. While Jessica observed the sword in her hands, she failed to notice that Raphael was apparently observing _her_ for some reason.

"I've only read about this kind of sword in books." Jessica said, a smile beginning to show on her face. "I never thought I would actually see one!" She then finally noticed Raphael staring at her. "What?" she asked him. Raphael raised an eyebrow and gave Jessica a worried look.

"Did you have trouble sleeping last night?" he asked.

"Yeah. How can you tell?" Jess asked, handing him back the sword. She watched as Raphael sheathed his sword, then walk a few steps toward her. She flinched slightly as Raphael suddenly grasped her wrist and lead her up the stairs.

"R-Raph?" Jessica whispered. "Wh-what are you doing?"

* * *

"I swear, your hair is an absolute mess." Raphael mumbled as he attempted to brush through another knot in Jessica's hair. "Do you even brush it at all when you wake up?"

"I- ow!" Jessica flinched as the brush got caught in the knot and pulled against her hair. "I do, but not very-" She flinched again. "...not very often." Raphael gave a quiet sigh that hinted of frustration.

"Well, I suggest that you start brushing it more often." he said, finally untangling the stubborn knot in Jessica's hair, only to have the brush get caught in another knot a few brush strokes later. "It's practically a rat's nest."

"It is not- ow!"

Jessica sighed and slumped her shoulders as Raphael continued brushing. They were definitely going to be here for awhile...

* * *

After some time, Jessica's hair was finally looking nicer. When Raphael was done brushing her hair, Jessica thought that the two of them would at least go and find where Xion and Kaos had run off to. Unfortunately, Raphael had told her that there was something that he wanted to do first in town, and he needed Jess to come with him. They both took their swords with them, just in case any trouble happened to confront them.

Jessica inched closer to Raphael as the two of them walked through town, feeling uncomfortable with many people staring at her as they walked by. Why were they glaring at her? It didn't make sense.

"Raph..." she whispered to him. "They're staring at me. I don't like it."

"Just ignore them, Jess." Raphael said in reply.

After passing by a few stores, which were beginning to close up for the night, Raphael suddenly stopped walking and turned towards a small two-floor building with a closed door. He motioned for Jessica to follow him, and soon knocked on the door. It didn't open, but both of them heard an irritated voice speak after Raphael knocked:

"Go away!" it said. "Do you have any idea how late it is?! Come back at a more reasonable hour!"

"It's me." Raphael said. "I told you this morning that I'd be coming this late to see you."

After a moment of silence, there was the sound of hurried footsteps coming toward the door, which soon swung open with such great force that Jessica quickly stepped back a bit due to being startled. The man who had opened the door had a frantic look on his face as he looked at Raphael.

"F-Forgive me...L-Lord S-Sorel" he said, slightly out of breath. "I-I didn't realize... t-that it was y-you." The man then stopped talking and took a few deep breaths, eventually noticing Jessica. "Is she the girl you were telling me about?" he asked Raphael, nodding his head in her direction as both of them entered the building. Raphael nodded his head as the man closed the door.

"Alright," the man said to Raphael. "Have her sit down over there while I get ready." He pointed toward a chair near the far end of the small room. Obediently, Jessica walked over to the chair and sat down while Raphael followed and stood beside her.

Jessica nervously looked at the man across the room, then at Raphael, then back at the man as he began walking towards her. She didn't know what was going on, but whatever it was, she didn't like it. She could feel the Soul Edge shard throbbing in her shoulder, which was beginning to feel slightly painful. Her hands carefully grasped the small potion vial hanging around her neck, but she didn't drink any of it.

She suddenly felt the man's cold hands rest on her right shoulder, causing her to flinch. Then, she happened to notice that the man's right hand was covered by a single black glove. No glove covered his left hand. This puzzled her.

"It's in _this_ shoulder, right?" he asked Raphael. "Right where this scar is?" Raphael nodded his head.

"Just promise me that you'll do this as painlessly as possible." Raphael said. "I don't want her getting hurt because of you, Dr. Boucher. She's still young."

"Of course, Lord Sorel." Dr. Boucher said, a smile forming on his face. "Whatever you say."

Jessica watched as Dr. Boucher disappeared up a small flight of stairs, then turned to Raphael.

"Wh-what is he gonna do?" she asked him, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. Raphael smiled as he met her eyes.

"He's going to take the shard out of your shoulder, Jessica." he said. "You won't have to worry about being controlled by it, or having to take that potion of yours, anymore after this."

"T-t-take it out?!" she repeated, her eyes showing fear. Her hand flew to her right shoulder and stayed there, as if she were trying to shield it. Raphael frowned and walked over to her.

"Jess? What's the matter?" he asked, placing his own hand on top of Jessica's. "Why are you so scared all of a sudden?"

"H-he can't take it out!" she frantically replied. "It-It's embedded too deep in my shoulder." Raphael noticed that Jessica looked like she was about to cry. "I-If he takes it out, my shoulder will become so damaged that I won't ever be able to use my right arm again!"

The sound of footsteps caused both Jessica and Raphael to turn their heads in the direction of the stairway, watching Dr. Boucher come down the stairs while carrying a large medical bag.

"I have everything I need." he said with a smile. "We can start now."

Immediately, Jessica returned her gaze to Raphael, silently pleading with him. Her eyes formed tears as she continued to watch Raphael, praying that he would take into consideration what she had just told him to make Dr. Boucher stop. She watched as Raphael remained silent for a moment before standing up, looking at Dr. Boucher.

"I've changed my mind." Raphael said, sternly. "Give me my money back. We won't be removing the shard."

Dr. Boucher looked surprised and confused at the same time. "...Pardon?" he asked.

"I said I want my money back. I've changed my mind about removing the shard from her."

Jessica breathed a sigh of relief after Raphael spoke and smiled at him as she took his hand and stood up, walking away from the chair. Dr. Boucher, however, looked furious, and reached into his medical bag.

"Oh, you don't understand Lord Sorel." he said. "I need more power. I _need_ that shard!" Dr. Boucher then revealed what he had concealed in his bag: not a surgical knife, but a dagger. A dagger meant for combat. Now Dr. Boucher was grinning evilly, his smile reaching from ear to ear.

"After all," he continued, using two fingers to remove the glove on his right hand. "Lady Dionna promised me something good if I took this girl's life!"

With the glove completely removed, both Jessica and Raphael could see a very distinct image on Dr. Boucer's hand: Dionna's raven symbol.

"Y-You were a servant of Dionna this whole time?!" Raphael yelled, reaching for his sword. "How dare you trick me!" He then pointed the blade of his Queen's Guard at Dr. Boucher. "I trusted you, as did this entire town!" Dr. Boucher merely smirked.

"What do you even know about trust, Lord Sorel?" he asked, mockingly. "For years, you have ruled over us as nothing but a tyrant. People are starving and suffering in the streets, and you look down at them as if they are nothing but swine! We put our trust in you in the beginning, but since you've done nothing to help us, we've stopped looking up to you!"

Raphael gritted his teeth as he listened to Dr. Boucher's words. He knew they were true, but he refused to listen. He wanted to impale the doctor with his sword, but that would've been what Dionna would want him to do: cause bloodshed. But still, he had threatened to harm Jessica...

What was he supposed to do?!

Suddenly, Dr. Boucher gripped his dagger tightly and took a swing at Jessica. She shrieked and backed up to avoid injury. She was successful, but lost her balance and fell to the floor.

"Stay away from her!" Raphael yelled, shoving Dr. Boucher away so that he couldn't harm Jessica. Dr. Boucher dropped his dagger as he hit the ground, and Raphael kicked it away before he could reach it. Dr. Boucher then reached for his bag again, this time pulling out what looked like a saw. As Raphael swung his sword, the blade of the saw collided against it.

This happened a few more times before Dr. Boucher suddenly dodged another swing and hacked at Raphael's leg with the saw blade. The wound this caused wasn't deep, but it hurt badly.

Dr. Boucher smiled triumphantly, but this smile soon faded as Raphael slashed his arm with his sword, causing Dr. Broucher to drop the saw and become vulnerable. Raphael however, suddenly hesitated. He didn't want to cause bloodshed, but this was a servant of Dionna he was facing. He didn't know whether or not to kill him.

"R-Raph..."

Raphael heard Jessica's voice and looked in her direction. She was gripping her shoulder tightly and appeared to be in pain. She then looked at him, panting slightly. When she spoke, her voice sounded like her own, but at the same time... it didn't.

"You-... You can kill him..."

Raphael's eyes widened as he saw Jessica's eyes flash bright red for just a split second before returning to yellow-gray as she spoke those words.

Quickly, however, he focused his attention on his adversary. Swiftly, he disposed of the doctor's existence with a few slashes of his blade, and one final stab. Once he was certain that the doctor was no longer breathing, he then ran over to Jessica and helped her off the floor.

"You okay?" he asked. She nodded her head, but as she stood up, she held her shoulder and cried out in pain, falling against the wall.

As her fingers fumbled for her potion vial, Jessica (along with Raphael) suddenly heard loud knocking and an angry voice coming from behind the front door.

"Open this door right now!" it yelled. "We know you're in there, Lord Sorel!"

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**

**For those of you who don't speak French, "Boucher" is a French surname which literally means "butcher".**

**Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Since I'm currently on Spring Break I hope I can write more chapters before I head back to school.**

** \- jbanime36**


	27. Chapter 27: The Fire Within

Without warning, the front door flew open with such force that the building seemed to shake for a moment. Immediately, three men dressed in armor stormed into the room. All three of them had tight grips on their swords as they glared at Raphael. Jessica noticed that, oddly enough, the men weren't that heavily armored.

Both Raphael and Jessica were equally surprised at the sudden intrusion, but Raphael seemed to be both surprised and irritated at the same time.

"What are you imbiciles doing?!" he demanded. "You're supposed to be at your posts!"

The leftmost soldier closed the door behind them with care. The knight in the trio who was the farthest to the right gritted his teeth.

"Like we would ever listen to you!" he said. The knight then pointed his sword at Raphael, gripping it tightly. "I'm glad that we decided to be suspicious of you. It's clear that your actions have caused nothing but grief. And now you've killed this town's only medical provider! How much more sick and twisted can you possibly become?!"

"Calm down, Pierre." said the center knight, addressing the knight who had spoken earlier. He then bravely took a step forward while Pierre gave a frustrated sigh and put his sword away.

"Lord Sorel, we are here to take you away and bring you to a much higher authority for judgement. Your actions as ruler over the years have damaged your reputation and endangered the lives of your own people." The knight then took a few more steps toward Raphael. "Now come with us," he continued. "We are going to take you away, and we will use force if necessary." When he was finished speaking, the knight glanced over at Jessica for a brief moment before returning his gaze to Raphael.

"But if you release your captive, claim you are guilty as charged, and do not fight back, then we will bring no harm to you." the middle knight concluded.

Raphael raised his eyebrows, sighed, and shook his head. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"You idiots. She is no captive," Raphael said. "She's a dear friend of mine, and she came here with me."

Jessica stared at Raphael after hearing him speak. He had called her... a friend...

She smiled after pondering what she had heard for a brief moment. She had been uncertain about it before, but now it was official: the two of them were no longer enemies. Only allies.

"And furthermore, Doctor Boucher was a traitor," Raphael continued. "He was the one who tried to take her life, not me."

"I find that hard to believe," Pierre said, a scowl still present on his face. He then looked at his other two partners. "See? I told you he would try and make up excuses! I say we beat him into submission. That'll put him in his place!"

The instant that the words "beat into submission" reached her ears, Jessica felt the Soul Edge shard throb in her shoulder again. She clutched her shoulder and winced, leaning against the wall. Neither the soldiers nor Raphael noticed her. They only continued their argument.

"What are you doing?!" she whispered, beginning to panic.

**"You heard what he said!"** Soul Edge angrily replied, it's voice echoing in her head, sounding just like her own. **"Do you _want_ Raphael to get hurt?! Hurry up and kill those soldiers! You're wasting time!"**

"No! I'm not taking anymore innocent lives!"

**"Innocent?! They're threatening the one you've sworn to protect! They're anything _but_**** innocent! Draw your sword and punish them!"**

The longer Soul Edge talked, the more the pain in her shoulder increased. Attempting to drown out Soul Edge's voice with her own thoughts, Jessica squeezed her eyes shut and pressed herself firmly against the wall. She kept one hand clasped around the potion vial as she returned to focusing on Raphael and the three knights.

Raphael had his eyes closed and was grasping the hilt of his Queen's Guard, which was still in its sheath. He sighed and then spoke.

"Gentlemen, I am usually a patient man," he said, keeping his eyes closed. "But this is getting rather irritating rather quickly. So I'm going to ask you one final time: Leave me with the girl, return to your posts, and mention this to no one."

The three soldiers all frowned while they exchanged glances at each other, eventually nodding their heads. The center knight then looked back at Raphael.

"You've given us no choice, Lord Sorel," he said. "We'll have to take you by force!" In an instant, all three soldiers prepared their swords for battle.

Raphael immediately drew his sword as Pierre and the center knight attacked him, blocking them with ease. The third knight, however, stayed put and watched the fight a small distance away.

**"Look! That one there is vulnerable!"** Soul Edge told Jessica. **"Now go and kill him already!"**

"No!" Jessica hissed in reply.

She immediately regretted refusing as the fire-like pain that had been present the previous night suddenly came back. Jessica cried out in pain as she grasped her shoulder and hit the floor. Immediately, the soldier in the corner noticed her and ran over to her, kneeling down.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"...K-Kind of," Jessica replied, wincing again. "I-I'll be f-fine, really I will."

"I don't think so," the knight replied, shaking his head. "Not as long as Lord Sorel is here. C'mon. I'll take you to safety." He then grabbed Jessica's wrist with some force, and began dragging her along. Immediately, she tried to pull away from the knight, but it quickly became apparent that he was stronger than her.

"L-Let... Let me go..." Jessica pleaded, trying to pull herself free.

"Forget the girl, Charles! She's not worth your time!" Pierre said, blocking an attack from Raphael before swinging his sword again. "Now get over here and help us!"

Reluctantly, Charles released his grip on Jessica and rushed over to help the other two knights who were fighting Raphael.

**"Great, now look what you've done, you idiot!"** Soul Edge yelled. **"You've given him one more opponent to face! Stop being a coward and kill those bastards! Right now!"**

Giving a defeated sigh, Jessica hesitated before she grabbed the hilt of her sword and made her way toward Raphael and the three knights with caution.

"No, Jess. Stay there!" Raphael said, noticing her. He then dodged all three attacks from the knights. "I can deal with them!" With quick precision, he kept the soldiers back using multiple swings and stabbing attacks.

Jessica obeyed Raphael and abruptly stopped. The shard in her shoulder throbbed painfully in response to her hesitation. Worry began to show on the young girl's face. If she didn't help Raphael somehow soon, then-

"No," she mumbled, talking to Soul Edge with a determined tone. "Raphael is strong. He doesn't need my help, and he certainly doesn't need _yours_ either."

However, immediately after speaking the phrase, Jessica felt the fire-like pain spread from her shoulder down through her right arm and her back. Her eyes widened, showing panic as the pain increased and she fell onto the floor, resting on her knees. Her eyes looked toward where Raphael and the three knights were. Why weren't they noticing any of this?!

**"I've had enough of your repulsive resistance."** Soul Edge said. After a moment of silence, it's tone turned into one that was almost seductive and beckoning. **"Let me help you become stronger. You'll have no more hesitation... No more fear... Just relax. I'll make everything better."**

Jessica looked down at the palms of her hands. She could slowly feel her senses numbing as the fiery surge inside her spread to her fingertips, then to the lower half of her body. The pain was too much. She couldn't move. "Dammit, Jess." she mumbled to herself. "Why didn't you take your potion when you had the chance?!" She then squeezed her eyes shut, tears leaking out of them. "You're such a stupid girl. Why can't you do _anything_ right?!"

Pierre lunged himself at Raphael again, who sidestepped out of the way. Using his elbow, Raphael knocked the knight back with such a hard force that Pierre fell to the floor.

His eyes filled with determination and focus, Raphael saw Charles prepare to swing his sword at him. Raphael readied himself to block the attack, being sure to keep the third knight at bay so he could focus on Charles. The instant he saw movement, Raphael swung his sword so that his blade connected with Charles'. However, as soon as the blades of the two swords collided, something occurred that had never happened in any battle Raphael had ever been in:

The blade of his Queen's Guard glowed with a bright purple aura for a split second, then quickly ceased. Before Raphael could ponder about why his sword had done such a thing, the blade of Charles' sword suddenly began to crack. Before long, it completely shattered to pieces, the bits of iron falling to the floor.

Raphael, Charles, and the other knight all stared in shock at what remained of Charles' sword. In anger, the unnamed knight readied his sword to deal another blow. He was about to strike when suddenly, a terrified scream came from the other end of the room which was quickly cut off. All three of them turned their heads in the direction of where the sound had come from.

What they saw filled them all with nothing but complete shock.

Jessica was holding Pierre's chin tightly in an almost death-like grip, lifting his face toward the ceiling. There was a deep gash in his throat, and blood was spilling out. Blood was also dripping from the blade of Jessica's sword.

While the other two knights continued to stare at the body of their fallen comrade, Raphael focused his attention on Jessica. She was looking down at the body of the knight she had just slain with a wicked grin on her face. After a moment of silence, she spoke in a tone that sent chills down his spine:

"What do you say we play a game?" she asked, malevolently. "You two against me."

Jessica then laughed for a moment before she finally lifted her head to look at the knights. "The winner... escapes with their life." she added. Her head then turned to look at Raphael. What he saw made him back up against the wall behind him due to fear:

Jessica's eyes were no longer the yellow color they once were. They were now shining a bright reddish-pink, almost white.

"Raphael..." she said. "You just stay right there..." -her grin seemed to grow even wider- "...and enjoy the show." Jessica then bolted at Charles, who was more vulnerable than his partner. Somehow, her speed had increased, and the knight was unable to react before she toppled him onto the ground. Holding her sword tightly in one hand, she used her free hand to grab one of his arms. She positioned the blade near his neck...

"L-Loys! Help! Get her off me!" Charles yelled, thrashing around in an attempt to break free.

Jessica gritted her teeth in anger as she struggled to focus on the victim in front of her. She raised her arm, then plunged her sword toward Charles. However, the knight's constant movement caused her to miss, and her blade sunk into the floor. Before she even got a chance to take it out, she felt her shoulders being forcefully grabbed and she was soon lifted off the floor. The only armed knight left, Loys, was the one who had grabbed her.

"Let me go!" Jessica yelled. "You don't know who you're dealing with!"

Loys threw her onto the ground before grabbing his sword, anger showing in his eyes.

"I know what I'm dealing with," he replied. "I'm dealing with a monster that must be eliminated before it takes more innocent lives." Getting up off the floor, Jessica smiled as she held her hands out at her sides, a blue light beginning to shine near her fingertips on both hands.

"Taking innocent lives? But that's all part of the fun!" she said. "After all..."

Soon, her hands closed around two sharp icicles that had finished forming while she talked. A murderous intent was now shining in her eyes as she continued to smile.

"...Soul Edge needs more souls!"

Jessica then ran at Loys while holding the icicles in her hands. The knight swung his sword when she got close to him, but he had misjudged her speed and missed her completely.

Raphael watched the fight frantically. This wasn't the Jessica he knew...

His eyes then widened as he witnessed something that seemed impossible: Jessica actually **_ran up the wall_** that was behind Loys! He watched as Jessica quickly jumped off the wall and did a backflip in the air so that the heel of her shoe collided with Loys' helmet, sending him toppling to the ground.

As Jessica landed effortlessly back on the ground, Loys struggled to get up as he reached for his sword. Noticing this, Jessica quickly walked over to him and kicked the knight's sword away with a sweep of her leg.

"Stay away from him, you beast!" Charles yelled, now off the floor.

Without even turning her head to look at Charles, Jessica threw one of the icicles in Charles' direction. It hit its intended target perfectly, impaling the knight's mid-section, which wasn't armored. Charles doubled over in pain as he fell back onto the floor.

Raphael looked at the fallen knight, then back at Jessica. This had to stop! Gripping his Queen's Guard tightly, he made his way toward Jessica. However, the moment he started moving, she turned her head to look at him, glaring.

"I told you to _**stay put!**_" she yelled.

Raphael abruptly stopped and stayed where he was, frightened slightly by Jessica's sudden outburst. He watched as Jessica returned her gaze to the fallen knight in front of her.

"You know, where I come from, there's a rule that we Furanians must all follow." Jessica said to Loys with a smile. She then grabbed the knight and pulled him close to her, positioning her second icicle near his neck. "No person outside of Furan must know." She then sighed.

"But it seems that I've made the mistake of breaking that rule. So I'm going to have to kill you so you don't tell anyone, okay?"

Raphael cringed and looked away as Jessica disposed of the third knight with multiple stabs. After about a minute of silence, he cautiously opened his eyes.

Jessica was now standing in front of him, panting wildly while her eyes still shone with a reddish-pink color. Her sword was also back in her hand.

"J-...Jess?" he mumbled, uncertain if she would attack him or become normal again.

"It's alright, Raphael." she said, smiling while catching her breath. "I'm right here. They won't hurt you anymore."

She then paused and stared at the blade of her sword. After a moment, her wicked smile slowly turned into a frown. Her free hand turned into a fist, and her eyes narrowed with anger.

"No... No, it's not alright!" Jessica spat. "It's... **It's not enough!**" She then turned around and furiously slammed the blade of her sword on the floor. Immediately, a flame erupted in the far corner of the room, opposite from where the two of them were. As the flame slowly rose higher, Jessica began to become more tense.

**"I-... I have to destroy more..."** Jessica said. **"...Burn everything!"** She then slammed her sword into the ground multiple times, causing more flames to erupt in various corners of the room. As more flames appeared, Jessica began laughing maniacally. Raphael watched the flames grow higher and gritted his teeth.

"Enough, Jessica!" he yelled, forcefully grabbing her arms. "This isn't you! Soul Edge is manipulating you! Snap out of it!" Jessica only attempted to fight back.

**"Don't tell me what to do!"** she replied, thrashing about. **"I'm your angel! You do as I say!"**

Fighting against her, Raphael used one hand to grasp Jessica's chin, lifting her head upward. He then used his other hand to grab onto the potion vial, removing it from around her neck.

**"...Don't you dare!"** Jessica hissed, noticing what he was doing. **"Don't you dare use that and betra-!"** She was abruptly cut off when Raphael suddenly put the vial to her lips, forcing her to drink some of the blue-white liquid.

The instant that Raphael took the vial away from her lips, Jessica coughed and gripped onto him. When she spoke, it sounded like she was struggling to get the words out of her mouth.

**"...You traitor..."** she spat. **"You dare... leave me... in such a weakened... state?!"** Her head then dipped downward as her eyes slowly closed. Raphael's tight grip on her loosened.

A moment passed before Jessica slowly lifted her head.

"R-...Raph...?" she groaned. She then focused on the scene in front of her and gasped. "Did I do this?!" Jessica turned around and frantically looked at Raphael, who noticed that, thankfully, her eyes were now back to yellow. "I couldn't have done this! Please tell me I didn't do this!"

"There's no time to talk right now!" Raphael said, grasping her hand after handing back the vial. "We have to get out of here!" He glanced toward the door, which was now blocked by flames. That meant that upstairs was their only option.

The two of them hurried up the short flight of stairs. Fortunately for them, there was a window that led directly outside. Raphael hurried over to it and attempted to open it. However, no matter how much he pushed against the glass, the window wouldn't open.

"Mon dieu, this is not good!" Raphael said, glancing back at the flames, which had now begun to spread in the room they were in. They had to get out soon, or else the flames would incinerate both of them!

"Move!" Jessica said, yelling above the roaring of the flames. She then took her sword and swung it at the glass, shattering it. She then climbed over the window sill, landing on a small balcony that was outside, and motioned for Raphael to follow her.

Raphael quickly glanced at their surroundings after landing on the balcony beside Jess. They were still too high to jump straight to the ground.

"We're still too high up," he said. "There's nowhere we can-" He quickly ceased talking as he saw Jessica clamber onto the edge of the balcony's railing. After a moment, she launched herself off and fell to the ground.

"Jess?!" Raphael yelled, panicking as he scanned the ground while peering over the railing.

"I'm okay, Raph! Just hurry up and get down here before the flames get to you!"

He was surprised when Jessica responded. That was a large fall. How was she okay?! Nevertheless, he did as he was told and landed on the ground, but with some difficulty. After standing back up, he turned around and saw Jessica standing behind him. But she wasn't alone...

"...A horse?" Raphael asked. "Who leaves a horse out here this late at night?!"

"Guess Doctor Boucher was planning to make a quick getaway after taking the shard out of me," Jessica replied. She then climbed onto the horse. "Now, c'mon. We have to get out of here before more soldiers come!"

Raphael climbed onto the horse, positioning himself in front of Jessica so he could steer the horse. Quickly, he got the horse to start galloping away from the building, and, eventually, the two of them were leaving the town.

"Where do you plan to head off to?" Raphael asked, slowing the horse down a bit once they were far enough.

"The only place where we can go," Jessica replied. "Back to Furan."

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	28. Chapter 28: Safety

**There is an important message for all readers at the end of this chapter. I ask that you please read it after reading the chapter.**

* * *

Some time after Jessica and Raphael's escape, the knights began racing through the town, searching for them. Various townspeople were panicking and running about, even though the fire was out by now.

At what remained of Doctor Boucher's building, four knights, as well as the captain of the guard, were standing together, observing the hoof prints that had been left behind.

"Alright men," the captain said. "Let's get moving. I want to hurry up and find Lord Sorel as soon as possible." The four other knights nodded their heads in acknowledgement before turning around to remount their horses. However, they all quickly stopped after hearing what sounded like a quiet laugh coming from nearby.

"You _**want** _to find him," it said. "But there's no guarantee that you _**will** _find him."

The figure in the shadows who had just spoken suddenly walked toward the knights, leaving the shadows that were hiding him.

"By now, he's almost arrived at his destination. And once he's there, you won't be able to find him."

The guards exchanged glances at each other. "And just how do you know this?" one of them asked. "Are you working for him?"

Cantero merely smirked and crossed his arms, his red eyes gleaming.

"I'm no servant," he replied. His smile then widened into a mischievous grin. "I just know a lot of things." Cantero met each of the knights' eyes as silence suddenly fell among them. "And I know," he said, breaking the silence, "That none of you are going to find him." One of the knights frowned and raised his eyebrow in suspicion.

"What, exactly, makes you say that?" he asked.

Cantero closed his eyes, the wide smile still present on his face. "What makes me say that, you ask?" he mused. He then chuckled. "Well, for one thing, his destination is a village that is hidden away from the rest of the world." Pausing, Cantero opened his eyes and looked at the knights in front of him, who were giving each other looks of confusion. He smiled after seeing their puzzled expressions. Just as he thought: they had no idea what he was even talking about.

One of the knights then looked at Cantero and spoke up.

"If this village is hidden from the world, then how does he know where to go?" he asked.

Cantero glanced at the guard who had just spoken to him, brushing his black bangs away from his eyes.

"The girl who was with him happens to live in that village." Cantero said. He then turned toward the charred yet intact wall of the building, placing his left hand on it. "She was the cause of the fire that had started earlier in this building." He looked back at the guards out of the corner of his eye. "She may be young, but make no mistake. The girl is dangerous. I've crossed paths with her before."

The two guards closest to the building turned and began observing the burned wall, whispering to each other. The captain glanced at the two of them for a moment before looking back at Cantero.

"Just what makes her so dangerous?" he asked. "If you tell us, we may be able to stop her." Cantero turned his head to look at the captain, his eyes observing the captain with a cold stare.

"She knows magic." Cantero said. "_Dangerous_ magic."

Upon hearing Cantero speak, the captain raised his eyebrows and all the other knights stared at Cantero, their eyes wide.

"Magic?" one of the knights asked in disbelief. "You mean... she knows _witchcraft_?"

"Yes, and she's not the only one." Cantero replied. "The whole village is full of people who know magic."

Once more, the knights began whispering amongst each other. Cantero watched each of the knights while attempting to catch a snippet of one of their conversations. He had better hearing than most mortals, so he was able to hear the knights' whispers fairly easily.

"I can't believe it!" one of the knights on Cantero's left whispered to another. "Lord Sorel is protecting a witch?!"

"He's even worse than I thought!" the knight next to him whispered back. "Now I _really_ won't have any regrets when I kill him!"

Cantero then focused on listening to two knights who were on his right side.

"Anyone who is a witch or protects witches faces the same fate." one of them whispered. "Maybe we should ask him if he knows where the village is? It would let us protect innocent people from falling into their clutches."

"But what if he doesn't know? What if he's lying?" the second knight whispered back. "Maybe there is no village. Maybe the girl is just a normal, innocent person that Lord Sorel has taken captive?"

"C'mon, think about it." the first knight said. He then nodded toward the charred building. "Would a _normal_ girl have been able to cause _this_ much damage in such a short amount of time?"

All of the knights continued to whisper amongst each other for awhile as Cantero waited patiently for them. Finally, after some time, the knights stopped whispering to each other and returned to focusing on Cantero.

"I believe, that, before we continue with this discussion any further," the captain said to Cantero, narrowing his eyes. "You tell us _exactly_ who you are."

Cantero exhaled and once more smoothed back his raven-back hair, a laugh escaping his throat.

"Who am I?" he questioned. "Well, I have one official title, but my name seems to vary depending on where in the world it is spoken. Here, and in most of Europe, the Church might refer to me as Lucifer or Satan. Others may say I'm Beelzebub, or they simply call me 'The Devil'." As Cantero spoke, he looked into the eyes of each knight, making sure they caught on to every word he spoke. Once more, he quietly laughed, then shook his head.

"But all of those names are incorrect." he said. "You non-Furanians always get my name wrong."

The knights glanced at their partners, giving each other looks of confusion that were mixed with panic. Even the captain no longer had a serious look on his face.

"S-So... you're _not_ the devil himself?" one of the knights timidly asked, backing away while keeping a hand on his sheathed sword.

"Correct." Cantero replied. "Rather..."

In an instant, Cantero snapped his fingers, causing his staff to appear out of thin air. His left hand closed around it, and he spun it a couple of times.

"...I am Cantero," he declared. "_Prince_ of Darkness."

As soon as he finished speaking, Cantero firmly gripped his staff and used his enhanced speed to rush at the knights, heading first for the weakest of the bunch. The knight unfortunately had no time to realize what was happening before the bladed part of Cantero's staff made contact with the unarmored portion of his body, slashing his skin; the fabric of his clothes tearing like paper.

The knight fell to the ground as Cantero suddenly ceased running and came to a stop behind his fallen victim.

Cantero suddenly twirled his long staff in his hand like a baton, and it instantly morphed into a sword that resembled a katana with a slim, golden blade. He watched the reflection on his blade, seeing that a couple of the knights were drawing their swords. The rest were either staring at him or their fallen comrade.

"Scared?" Cantero asked the remaining knights, smirking. "I can sense your fear. It excites me."

* * *

"You sure you remember the way?" Jessica asked. "And how did you even know where to go last time? You found Furan easily even though it was your first time ever being there."

Raphael glanced behind him to look at Jessica as the two of them continued to travel on the horse through the forest. He smiled.

"Remember that one time months ago when I followed you after a fight we had ended in a draw?" he asked. "Before this all happened?" Jessica thought for a moment before nodding her head. Raphael returned to focusing on guiding the horse.

"Yeah, I remember now." she replied. "We fought just outside the entrance to the village." Jessica then laughed quietly after recalling the moment. "But that fight wasn't fair!" Raphael raised an eyebrow yet continued to smile.

"Not fair?" he questioned.

"I was exhausted from the previous fight, and you had a clear advantage by being a malfested! You beat me up so badly!"

The two of them laughed together quietly for a moment as Raphael slowed the horse down so that it stopped. He glanced at their surroundings for a moment before speaking.

"We're almost there." he said. "We should be safe in Furan. The soldiers from my town shouldn't have any idea where to look for us, based on what you told me." Raphael then urged the horse to move forward, and they were off once more, traveling off the main road and through some shrubbery. It wasn't long before the shrubbery became less thick and the two of them made their way toward what appeared to be a small trail. The forest trees lined the trail on both sides, acting like a border of sorts.

After traveling on that trail for a bit, both Raphael and Jessica could see the outline of the village buildings in front of them, just a small distance away.

"Thank goodness" Raphael thought to himself. "Just a little more and we'll be sa-"

"Halt! Who goes there?" came a voice from somewhere in the shadows, near the left side of the trail. Raphael abruptly stopped the horse and looked toward where the voice had came from. He watched as a heavily armored knight came out of the shadows, holding a lance.

Raphael's first instinct told him to retreat, but upon closer examination, he realized that it wasn't a soldier from where he lived. This soldier had silver armor, and on the breastplate there was a symbol that resembled the sun and a crescent moon that were a deep purple color. He also noticed that the knight appeared to be extremely young, probably no older than twenty.

Was he a Furanian knight?

Suddenly, a noise came from Raphael's right, and he watched as a second knight appeared. This knight had the exact same armor design and also held a lance. However, this knight appeared to be a bit younger than the knight on the left. He looked as if he had just turned sixteen.

The younger knight suddenly grabbed Raphael's right hand and glanced at it, moving the sleeve of his outfit to observe Raphael's wrist.

"No identification bracelet." he said to the knight on the left. "He must be an outsider." The knights then met each others' eyes. "What should we do with him?"

Jessica peered around Raphael to look at the knights.

"John! Michael! I'm with him!" she said. "Please, let us through!"

The two knights ceased focusing on Raphael and watched Jessica as she got off the horse and landed on the ground. The younger knight let go of Raphael's wrist and smiled.

"Oh, Jess! You're back!" he exclaimed. "You sure were gone for awhile. I'm glad you're oka-"

_"Michael."_ the knight on the left said sternly, glaring at the younger knight. Michael's smile disappeared and he straightened himself once more, though he didn't seem to be as composed as his partner.

The other knight, John, then returned to looking at Jessica. He frowned.

"You're not wearing your identification bracelet again?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

A small amount of panic began to show on Jessica's face, and she rubbed her right shoulder.

"I-I'm sorry," she said. "I forgot it." John closed his eyes and gave an irritated sighed.

"This is the _third_ time you've left the safety of this village without it." he said. "If this keeps up, I'm going to have to stop giving you warnings. _Don't_ let it happen again." John glanced at Raphael for a moment.

"Isn't he the one you fought here that one December?" he asked, nodding his head toward Raphael. Jessica nodded her head in response.

"I think he was also here when the fight broke out in the temple a couple days ago." Michael said, thinking out loud.

"W-What?!" John cried, looking at Michael with a shocked expression. "How in the world did he-" John suddenly stopped talking and thought for a moment. "Does that mean that James and Benedict were sleeping while on their shift _again?!_" he said. John then clenched free his hand into a fist. "I swear, if they do that one more time..." He then gave another irritated sigh and looked at Raphael and Jessica.

"What are you doing with him?" he asked Jessica. "Hasn't he tried to kill you multiple times in the past?"

"He's changed!" Jessica said. She was beginning to get desperate. If they weren't granted entrance, the two of them would have nowhere else to hide. "I know it sounds outrageous, but people change, John!"

John pressed his lips into a thin line and remained silent.

"Please, just let us through!" Jessica begged. "We have outsiders after us, and this is the only place where we're _both_ guaranteed safety!"

Immediately after hearing Jessica's plea, Michael stepped out of the horse's path, but John remained where he was for a moment. He then sighed.

"Alright, fine. I'll let you pass," John said. He then pointed at Raphael. "But he needs to get an identification bracelet of his own as soon as possible if he ever wishes to return here."

Jessica smiled at Raphael and got back on the horse.

"Thanks so much, guys!" she said. Raphael then urged the horse to move forward, and it continued toward the village.

"And don't forget yours either!" John yelled back.

Once he couldn't see them anymore, he and Michael returned to their posts for the rest of the night.

* * *

Cantero stretched his arms and smiled, giving a sigh of relief. He then placed one hand against the wall of the building, staring at the ground. The knights who had fought him earlier were all now slain. They were all fools, trying to challenge the likes of him.

"Well done, Cantero," he told himself. "Five people murdered..." He then glanced at his surroundings. There was no one who was noticed him or the fallen knights, even during the fight. The town had already been in such a panic that everyone else had failed to notice him.

"... and not a single witness. Perfect."

With a snap of his fingers, Cantero made his staff disappear and used the sleeve of his crimson jacket to wipe the blood off his face.

"Now," he mumbled. "I wonder where I should head off to next? This town is already in such a panic, it won't be much fun to cause bloodshed here anymore tonight..." He leaned his back against the wall and continued to think.

However, his train of thought was soon cut off by the sound of a galloping horse coming his way. He turned his head to look in the direction of the noise. He waited as the sound of galloping ceased, and the rider dismounted. More knights?

"Oh no! I'm too late!" came a voice from around the corner, where the horse had just stopped.

Cantero raised an eyebrow. He knew that voice, and it wasn't from any knight. He smiled and slowly walked around the corner so he could see the new arrival.

"What's the matter, Vice?" Cantero asked, a sly smile present on his face. "You worried about Jessica?"

Vice looked at Cantero after hearing him speak, but he didn't say a word. His red violet eyes which shone underneath his mask showed that he wasn't surprised that Cantero was there. Rather, he was quite calm. Cantero chuckled, noticing this.

"You don't seem very surprised to see me." Cantero said, walking closer so that he was standing in front of Vice. "Probably because of your visions. You would have foreseen my arrival." Cantero then frowned.

"But did your visions let you know that I was going to do... _this?!_"

Out of nowhere, Cantero lifted his right leg and swung it at Vice with extreme speed. However, just before Cantero's leg could make contact with Vice's face, Vice swiftly stopped it with his arm.

"I've warned both you and Dionna before, Cantero." Vice said, unfazed by the sudden attack. "_Don't_ test me."

Cantero closed his eyes and exhaled sharply through his nose as he lowered his leg.

"You have no right to give me orders." Cantero said. "I'm the prince here, not you." He then looked over at the charred remains of the building that used to be Doctor Boucher's office. Remembering what had happened earlier, he smiled.

"Look at this destruction, Vice." Cantero said, gesturing toward the burned building with his left hand. "Jessica caused all this." The prince of darkness once more turned his head to look at Vice, focusing on the red-violet eyes which shone beneath the white mask.

"The very girl that you care about is nothing more than a mindless murderer." Cantero said, the smile returning to his face. "She's a monster, Vice. Accept that and stop trying to find her. Besides, ignorance will be the best thing for her. It's best if you don't tell."

Vice only backed away a few steps.

"It wasn't her doing," he replied. Vice's eyes then narrowed before he continued speaking.

"And she _must_ know her fate."

* * *

**THIS IS THE MESSAGE: **

**I would like to thank everyone who has gotten this far in the story and who have supported me for two years. However, I am surprised and sad to say that I am actually getting bored with writing this, which I thought I would never say. This means that I may not work on this story anymore, which is unfortunate because I still have a long way to go with it, and I had ideas for sequels.**

**Now, this does not mean that I am no longer going to write stories on this site. I do have some other ideas that I've been wanting to start writing about for a while, and I'm also hoping to make an account on fictionpress as well.**

**Also, I may write separate, much shorter stories that have to do with "Changer of Fate" in the future.**

**I'm sorry for those of you who were wishing that this story would get completed, but it might not happen.**

**I'd like to specifically thank author "Lich the Ice Wizard" for supporting me and giving me characters to include in this fanfic, as well as my best friends (some of which don't even know a thing about Soul Calibur!) who have been reviewing my story as guests.**

**Thank you, everyone, and keep an eye out for new stories!**

**Sincerely, jbanime36**


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